Assam to lose constitutional 'guarantees' if BJP comes to power; claims Congress

GUWAHATI: Congress accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of following a 'divisive electoral model' on the grounds of religion and also said that Assam, as well as the entire northeast region, will lose its special constitutional 'guarantees' if BJP voted to power again.

"Assam earned its special Constitutional rights after ages of agitation and fight. If the BJP comes to power again, do not take it for granted. Because the BJP's idea of India is very different from the people who had drafted the constitution of India," said Manish Tiwari, MP, and former Union Minister.

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Tiwari further added, "BJP brought the unconstitutional CAA; I was the one to initiate a debate against the same in parliament. The same NDA snatched statehood from Jammu and Kashmir. And recently, in the end, the budget session of parliament BJP squashed Delhi's democratic rights by turning the national capital into a Union Territory."

Tiwari pointed to the pact signed with the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) signed on March 1, 2015, wherein it was stated that the special status of Jammu and Kashmir will be safe, as a cautionary tale.

"So the people of Assam and northeast should think about it thoroughly. If BJP comes into power again here, then that day is not very far when the constitutional 'guarantees' that Assam and Northeast get under section 371(B), section 246(A), 6th schedule and section 32 will be abolished."

Manish Tiwari also assured that Congress will take every necessary legal step to stop the center from implementing CAA in Assam, adding that the 'Mahajat' will also bring in an accountability bill to put a stop to corruption for fair governance.

With the election nearing its end, political mud-slinging is becoming more prominent, and each party is coming up with its own new policies and promises. A day earlier, Rahul Gandhi could be heard giving a 6th guarantee -- that of not governing Assam from New Delhi. Which party's promises are going to land on public, only May 2 will tell.

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