BJP raises alarm over Imran Masood’s Assam visit with Priyanka Gandhi

At a press conference held at the State BJP headquarters, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Bhavan, party spokesperson Kamal Kumar Medhi launched a sharp attack on the Congress over the appointment of Imran Masood as a member of the party’s Screening Committee for the upcoming Assam Legislative Assembly elections.

Referring to Masood’s arrival in Assam alongside Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi, Medhi questioned the decision to assign him a key organisational role in the state. He alleged that Congress had entrusted responsibility for Assam to a leader from Uttar Pradesh with a controversial political past. According to Medhi, under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi and state leaders including Gaurav Gogoi and Rakibul Hussain, the party was pursuing what he described as a “dangerous design” ahead of the Assembly polls.

Medhi cited a 29 March 2014 campaign speech delivered by Masood during the Lok Sabha elections from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, in which controversial remarks were made against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said Masood was subsequently arrested in connection with hate speech allegations and went on to lose that election.

WATCH IMRAN MASOOD'S REACTION TO INDIA TODAY NE

The BJP spokesperson further accused Masood of making statements in recent years that, according to him, were deeply objectionable. He alleged that on 12 November 2025, Masood defended an accused in a bomb blast case near Delhi’s Red Fort, arguing that an educated Muslim could not be a terrorist. Medhi also claimed that in a podcast appearance before the Bihar elections, Masood drew comparisons between Hamas and Indian freedom fighter Bhagat Singh, a remark the BJP described as an insult to India’s martyrs.

Additionally, Medhi alleged that on 8 December 2025, during parliamentary discussions marking the 150th anniversary of “Vande Mataram,” Masood opposed the celebration and declined to sing the national song, citing religious reasons. The BJP termed this stance an affront to national sentiment and constitutional values.

Medhi said that Masood has been assigned oversight of candidate selection in several Assam districts, including Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Dhemaji, Charaideo, Biswanath and Udalguri. He alleged that Congress had deliberately placed a “divisive figure” in charge of politically sensitive regions inhabited largely by indigenous communities.

Concluding his remarks, the BJP spokesperson accused the Congress leadership of attempting to weaken Assam’s social fabric for electoral gain. The Congress has not yet issued a formal response to the allegations.