Guwahati: The Assam BJP on Friday strongly criticised the Congress Party in response to Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge’s remark that “Assam lacks talented and capable people to establish industries,” labelling the comment as a deep insult to the people of the state. During a press conference at the party’s headquarters, Vajpayee Bhawan in Basistha, BJP spokesperson Jayanta Kumar Goswami emphasised that the statement had struck a blow to Assamese pride and heritage.
Goswami challenged Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Gaurav Gogoi to demonstrate leadership by introducing a formal resolution in the state Congress condemning the remark. “Show courage. Stand up for Assam and pass a resolution,” he stated, outlining the BJP’s demand for accountability from the opposition.
The BJP spokesperson further accused the Congress of a long-standing history of humiliation toward Assam and the Northeast. He referenced historical actions—such as Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s handling of the 1962 Sino-Indian war, which Goswami claimed “virtually abandoned” Assam, and Indira Gandhi’s tenure during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, which he alleged triggered a large influx of illegal migrants into the state. He also criticised the Assam Accord implemented during Rajiv Gandhi’s leadership, alleging it “legalised” settlers by fixing 1971 instead of 1951 as the cutoff year.
Goswami highlighted what he described as further affronts, including Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra moment where he allegedly displayed a map of India that omitted Assam and the Northeast. He argued that decades of Congress governance had contributed to Assam’s economic underdevelopment and social imbalances.
Firmly positioning his party, Goswami said the BJP would continue to expose what he called the Congress’s “disrespectful attitude” toward the people of the Northeast and vowed to protect Assam’s dignity going forward.
