Congress has mortgaged its soul to Bangladeshi-origin Muslims, says Himanta Biswa Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on March 3 alleged that the Congress party is focusing its electoral strategy around constituencies dominated by what he described as “Bangladeshi-origin Muslims” ahead of the upcoming state Assembly elections.

Speaking to reporters, Sarma claimed that the seats the Congress is contesting in alliance arrangements are primarily those with a significant population of Muslims of alleged Bangladeshi origin. He said this political positioning reflects what he termed as the party’s departure from the interests of Assam’s indigenous communities.

“If you notice the seats which Congress is fighting in alliance, they are mostly those which belong to Bangladeshi-origin Muslims. The people of Assam must understand that Congress is not standing with the indigenous people of the state. It is evident as we move closer to the Assembly elections,” Sarma said.

The Chief Minister also referred to the reported political contest between the Congress and the regional party Raijor Dal, led by Akhil Gogoi, claiming that even this contest is concentrated in similar constituencies.

“From the very first day, I have been saying that Congress is not with Assam or its indigenous people. It would have been different if the fight was over seats like Jorhat or Dibrugarh. But Congress has mortgaged its soul to people of Bangladeshi-origin Muslims and will contest from there and run its politics from there,” Sarma alleged.

The Congress party has not yet responded to the Chief Minister’s remarks. The comments come amid intensifying political rhetoric in the run-up to the Assembly polls, with issues of identity, migration and indigenous rights expected to remain central to the campaign narrative.