Assam: Government crushed opposition voices while passing CAA, says Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi

Accusing the BJP-led central government, Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi alleged on Thursday that the voices of opposition were systematically suppressed during the passage of the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).

Speaking at a press conference, Bordoloi, who is contesting for the Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency, likened the government's actions to the infamous crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protests in China. He emphasized that the fight against the CAA and communal forces would persist not only in Assam but across the nation.

"The BJP government crushed our voices by wielding their majority power, akin to the Chinese authorities suppressing dissenters with brute force," Bordoloi asserted, underlining the detrimental impact of the CAA on Assam's identity.

Expressing concern over what he termed as a "blatant violation" of the secular provisions of the Indian constitution during the enactment of the CAA, Bordoloi urged the people of Assam to vote against the BJP in order to safeguard the state's cultural ethos.

Accompanying Bordoloi's condemnation, All India Congress Committee Communications Coordinator for Assam, Mahima Singh, criticized the Narendra Modi-led NDA government for exacerbating economic disparities in the country.

Singh highlighted the growing chasm between the rich and the poor, lamenting the unfulfilled promises of inclusive development made by the Prime Minister. Referring to a recent viral image allegedly depicting a suspended member of the BJP ally UPPL sleeping amidst stacks of currency notes, Singh accused the ruling coalition of complicity in corruption.

"Just yesterday, a viral picture of UPPL leader Benjamin Basumatari sleeping on lavish bundles of cash and also wearing them on his body seized the internet. No wonder, Basumatari is a privileged partner 'in crime' of the BJP," Singh remarked, seizing the opportunity to castigate the ruling bloc for its purported involvement in corrupt practices.

The image of Basumatary, suspended from UPPL earlier this year, sparked controversy in Assam, with opposition parties seizing upon it to lambast the BJP-led alliance, alleging systemic corruption within the ruling coalition.