Assam BJP chief Dilip Saikia: ‘Congress, not BJP, divided Assam on Hindu-Muslim lines’

Assam BJP President Dilip Saikia on Monday strongly rejected claims that his party has indulged in Hindu-Muslim politics, asserting instead that the Congress is responsible for dividing Assam along communal lines. 

Speaking at a conclave, Saikia accused Congress of engaging in appeasement and vote bank politics, including granting ration cards, voter IDs, and land pattas to illegal immigrants.

“For years, Congress did appeasement politics and welcomed illegal immigrants. They are the ones who divided Assam along Hindu-Muslim lines. If you want to ask who has really done Hindu-Muslim politics, it is the Congress, not the BJP,” he said.

Saikia defended the BJP’s stance, saying it focuses on protecting indigenous Hindus and Muslims while standing against illegal immigration. He cited historical events, including post-Partition and 1971 refugee influx from Mymensingh, and highlighted the Supreme Court’s 2005 verdict scrapping the IMDT Act, which acknowledged demographic changes in Assam. He also referenced a 1971 report by the Chief Election Commissioner showing a 34.98% rise in Muslim immigrant population in a decade.

Addressing the youth, Saikia contrasted the Congress-era APSC recruitment scams with the current merit-based system, claiming the BJP government has restored faith in public institutions and ensured fair opportunities for Assamese students.