GUWAHATI, May 11: The Congress will not attend the swearing-in ceremony of the third BJP-led NDA government in Assam, as the occasion was being turned into a “political” spectacle, state party president Gaurav Gogoi said on Monday.
He said the party was focusing to building a “new Congress” to reach out to the people, while analysing the reasons behind its dismal performance in the assembly elections.
“No Congress representative will attend the swearing-in ceremony of the new government tomorrow. We cannot take lightly the fact that a constitutional ceremony is being turned into an expensive, political and election-style rally,” Gogoi told reporters here.
Related Posts:
The third NDA government in Assam, to be led by Himanta Biswa Sarma as the CM for the second consecutive term, will take oath on May 12, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several Union ministers, chief ministers of NDA-ruled states, industrialists and other dignitaries set to attend.
The programme will be held at the Khanapara Veterinary College field with elaborate arrangements for accommodating thousands of people, with separate dais also being erected for different set of dignitaries.
Gogoi said that in-depth discussions with the media and communication, social media, and legal cells and war room members were held.
They analysed the party’s standing among the people from the polling phase to the counting stage, the performance of various campaign-related wings, and the nature of the public’s response, he said.
Gogoi said the party has begun preparations to build a “new Congress” to create a ‘Bor Asom’ (greater Assam).
“The people of Assam are finding it difficult to believe these election results. From the very beginning, our focus will be on correcting our mistakes, taking our message to the grassroots and neutralising the BJP’s misinformation. We discussed how to use our volunteers, well-wishers and supporters to counter the BJP’s money-powered propaganda through the channels available to us,” he said.
“We have engaged in extensive discussions with our media cell, social media cell, and various organisational branches. We have already reached a decision. Our goal is to present a ‘new Congress’ to the people,” Gogoi said.
The NDA secured a two-thirds majority in last month’s elections, with the BJP winning 82 seats and its allies, the Asom Gana Parishad and Bodoland People’s Front, 10 each in the 126-member Assembly.
The Congress managed to win 19 seats, while its pre-poll ally Raijor Dal secured two. The AIUDF bagged two seats and the Trinamool Congress one. (PTI)
