GUWAHATI, Aug 1 (PTI): Assam Trinamool Congress president Ripun Bora on Tuesday alleged that the BJP was stirring up emotions by indulging in religious polarisation to sail through the Lok Sabha elections due next year.
He also hit out at police and government machinery’s initial silence over arms training at a Bajrang Dal camp in Darrang district, with the incident creating a furore in the state.
“It is the modus operandi of the BJP in the country. This time it is the Bajrang Dal here, but they call it their Sangh Parivar. They are all like-minded parties,” Bora said at a press conference here.
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Referring to the camp in Mangaldai town of Darrang district, he said, “They said it was for self-defence using air guns. But it is still a weapon. A procession was taken out with slogans for forming a ‘Hindu Rashtra’ and firing in the air using these guns.”
“Police stood as silent spectators. Indirectly, the government was promoting it,” he added.
A video purportedly showing Bajrang Dal members imparting arms training at a school in Mangaldai went viral on Monday.
Assam Police has registered a case against Bajrang Dal activists for organising the camp while opposition Congress and CPI (M) have demanded an inquiry against the organisers and the role of the district administration.
Lashing out at the BJP governments where it is in power, Bora said, “Wherever there is the ‘double engine’ government of the BJP, be it in Haryana or Manipur, strife between communities has started. With an eye on the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the party is indulging in a ‘one nation, one religion, Hindu Rashtra’ slogan to polarise people.”
“They want to unite the Hindus through the emotional card and win elections as they have no development to show,” the former Rajya Sabha member claimed. Bora also criticised the state government for failing to check skyrocketing of prices of essential commodities and demanded a white paper from the Assam BJP government on the state’s finances over the last two fiscals.
“Two annual budgets have been passed under the current Himanta Biswa Sarma-led regime. We demand that a white paper on these two budgets of 2021-22 and 2022-23 be placed before the public.”
“The government has been taking huge amount of loans. We demand that they should make it public on what activities the loan amount is being used. Our suspicion is that the loan money is used only for creating beneficiaries,” Bora claimed.
BJP blamed for Manipur violence:
Meanwhile, with the opposition bloc INDIA demanding a statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Manipur violence in Parliament, Ripun Bora claimed that the PM was refraining from speaking as the violence is “their (BJP’s) own creation” and exposes their failure.
He said it was ‘strategically’ decided by the BJP not to make any statement on the ongoing violence in the northeastern state.
The state BJP, however, maintained that the party was ready for discussions on the issue but the opposition has not given it any opportunity.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP have strategically decided not to make any statement on Manipur. They have nothing to say as it is their creation and failure. They will be exposed when they give any statement,” Bora, a former Rajya Sabha member, said.
