All India Congress Committe In-Charge for Assam and the party’s Working Committe member, Jitendra Singh Alwar, on Tuesday talked up his party’s prospects in the next year’s Lok Sabha elections, saying it has already chalked out a roadmap for the crucial and high-stakes electoral battle.
Hitting out at former party colleague Himanta Biswa Sarma, he called him the most corrupt CM in the country.
The Congress on Tuesday held a strategy meeting of party leaders from Assam to firm up its strategy going into the next general elections.
The meeting was held at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters here and was presided over by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge.
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and AICC General Secy KC Venugopal were also present at the meeting.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, the former minister said, “The meeting continued for more than 3 hours and about 37 party members put forward their views with an eye on the next Lok Sabha elections. Every leader from Assam expressed concern about Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s style of governance.”
“Sarma is the most corrupt CM in India. The Congress is on a very strong footing in Assam and we have prepared a roadmap for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections,” he said.
Among those who attended the meeting were Jitendra Singh, Assam Congress president Bhupen Kumar Bora, CLP Leader Debabrata Saikia, MPs and other leaders.
Rahul later said in a Facebook post that “peace and prosperity have been the foundational pillars on which the Congress party built a progressive Assam”.
He alleged that the misgovernance by BJP’s ‘double-engine’ sarkar has demolished these pillars.
“We are determined to ensure this trend stops, and the times change for the good of the people”, he added.
In a tweet, Kharge said, “In Assam, the Congress party is gearing up for the Lok Sabha elections. We are reinvigorating the organisation. All leaders and workers must reach out to people and expose the misgovernance and incompetence of the BJP. Congress party built Assam, brick by brick, and ensured peace, progress and welfare of the state. Today, the strategy meeting with Assam leaders focussed on some crucial issues facing the state.”
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Jitender Singh, Bora and Saikia said deliberate attempts were being made to spoil the peaceful and harmonious ambience of Assam.
Bora alleged that the BJP government had organised weapons training for its activists in Assam, which will further endanger peace in the state. He said the party will soon launch an agitation against it.
He said the alleged corruption being perpetrated on the watch of CM Sarma also came up for discussion at the meeting.
Bora disclosed that the Congress president had assured him that he will consider his request to hold a special Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting in Assam, focusing on the Northeast.