Guwahati, February 24 – All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) MLA, Rafiqul Islam, criticised both the BJP and the Congress on Tuesday, alleging that the ruling party thrives on polarization while the Congress has failed to emerge as a credible opposition force in Assam. He stated that instead of fighting the BJP, the Congress is primarily targeting the AIUDF, which helps the ruling party.
Speaking to IANS, Islam accused the BJP of promoting communalism and failing to live up to its promise of inclusive development.
“The BJP talks about ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’, but in reality it has only deepened divisions in society and ignored genuine issues faced by common people,” the AIUDF legislator alleged.
Outlining his party’s electoral strategy ahead of the upcoming Assembly polls, Islam said the AIUDF will contest in around 30 to 32 constituencies.
“We have done solid groundwork in these seats. Our organizational strength at the grassroots level is strong, and we are confident about our prospects,” he said.
Islam also criticised the Congress for what he described as a misplaced electoral focus.
According to him, the Congress should directly challenge the BJP in Upper Assam, where the ruling party has a strong presence.
“Instead of taking the BJP head-on in Upper Assam, the Congress is concentrating only on minority-dominated seats. This approach is weakening the opposition space,” he added.
The AIUDF MLA further claimed that the Congress was struggling with internal erosion, pointing to several of its MLAs and senior leaders joining the BJP in recent times.
“Many Congress MLAs and top leaders have already joined the BJP, and many more are in the queue to join the ruling party. This is not a good sign for the Congress,” Islam said.
He alleged that instead of fighting the BJP, the Congress is primarily targeting the AIUDF, which, according to him, only helps the ruling party.
“The Congress is basically fighting the AIUDF instead of fighting against the BJP, and that is benefiting the BJP politically,” he remarked.
Concluding his remarks, Islam said that AIUDF’s ultimate objective is to prevent the BJP from returning to power in Assam.
“Our goal is clear — to ensure that the BJP does not come back to power and that the people of Assam get a government that believes in unity and justice,” he said.