Congress manifesto more suited for Pak polls, says Himanta Sarma; party hits back
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma alleged that the Congress's manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls was more appropriate for elections in Pakistan than in India. The grand old party hit back and dismissed Sarma's allegations.
In Short
- Himanta Sarma slams Congress's poll manifesto, alleges it is 'appeasement politics'
- He is confident of BJP winning all 14 Lok Sabha seats in Assam
- Congress hits back and dismisses Sarma's allegations
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday slammed the Congress over the party's poll manifesto and alleged that it was more appropriate for elections in Pakistan than in India. He claimed that the manifesto was aimed at dividing the society to come to power.
On Friday, the Congress released its manifesto for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and the poll document focused on five 'pillars of justice' and 25 guarantees under those. Some of the promises made by the party were a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP), a nationwide caste census and the scrapping of the Agnipath scheme.
In response, Sarma alleged that Congress's manifesto was "politics of appeasement".
"This is politics of appeasement and we condemn it. The manifesto feels like it is not for elections in Bharat but for Pakistan," he told reporters on the sidelines of an election rally in Jorhat constituency.
The Assam Chief Minister asserted that no person, either Hindu or Muslim, wanted the revival of triple talaq or supported polygamy or child marriage.
"The mentality of the Congress is to divide the society and come to power," he claimed.
Exuding confidence that the BJP would win all 14 Lok Sabha seats in the state, Sarma said the BJP had taken the form of an 'andolan' (movement) that is to make the country a 'Vishwa guru' (world leader).
On the other hand, the Congress hit back at Sarma, asserting that a turncoat like him would not be able to understand the secular and inclusive ethos of the grand old party. Sarma joined the BJP in 2015.
"Sarma had been in the Congress for several years, but he could not understand the main ethos of the party. That is why he went to the BJP. Even after being in the BJP for some time now, he still tries to defame Congress to prove his loyalty to the saffron party," Assam Congress spokesperson Bedabrata Bora told news agency PTI.
Bora dismissed the allegations made by Sarma and asserted that the party's manifesto aimed to safeguard the interests of all sections of society.
Assam will vote in three phases on April 19, April 26 and May 7. Votes will be counted on June 4.