Himanta Sarma Says Congress Manifesto Is For Polls In Pak, Party Responds

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday alleged that the Congress' poll manifesto was more appropriate for elections in neighbouring Pakistan than for India.

The Congress, on the other hand, said a turncoat like Mr Sarma would not be able to understand the secular and inclusive ethos of the grand old party, and asserted that its manifesto aims to safeguard the interests of all sections of the society.

Mr Sarma condemned the poll promise document brought out by the opposition party, claiming that it was targeted at dividing the society to come to power.

"This is politics of appeasement and we condemn it. The manifesto feels like it is not for elections in Bharat but for Pakistan," Mr Sarma told reporters on the sidelines of an election rally in Jorhat constituency.

Mr Sarma maintained that no person in the country, either Hindu or Muslim, wants the revival of triple talaq or supports child marriage or polygamy.

"The mentality of the Congress is to divide the society and come to power," the BJP leader claimed.

The Congress released its manifesto, focusing on five 'pillars of justice' and 25 guarantees under those, on Friday.

Right to apprenticeship, a legal guarantee for MSP, passing a constitutional amendment to raise the 50 per cent cap on reservations for SCs, STs and OBCs, a nationwide caste census and scrapping of the Agnipath scheme are among the promises made by the Congress in its Lok Sabha polls manifesto.

Mr Sarma asserted that the BJP has taken the form of an 'andolan' and this movement is to make the country the 'vishwa guru' (world leader).

He also asserted that the saffron party and its allies would bag all 14 Lok Sabha in the state.

He said positive feedback has been received from the Dhubri constituency, regarding which Sarma had earlier been maintaining that the BJP-led alliance's candidate will not be victorious.

Reacting to his statement, Assam Congress spokesperson Bedabrata Bora claimed that a turncoat like Mr Sarma would not be able to understand the secular and inclusive ethos of the grand old party.

"Sarma had been in the Congress for several years but he could not understand the main ethos of the party. That is why he went to the BJP. Even after being in the BJP for some time now, he still tries to defame Congress to prove his loyalty to the saffron party," Mr Bora told the news agency PTI.

The Congress leader asserted that the party's manifesto aims to safeguard the interests of all sections and rubbished the allegations made by Sarma. 

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