Guwahati: Tarun Gogoi, veteran Congress leader and 3-time former Chief Minister of Assam, has said that he is "definitely in favour of a wider alliance" to contest the upcoming Assembly polls in Assam in 2021.
In an exclusive interaction with The Sentinel Digital, Gogoi said that he is fully supportive of a maha gathbandhan that could potentially unseat the BJP from its perch atop the throne of power. "I want an alliance with all the groups who are against CAA, who are against the divisive politics and communal politics of BJP. Everybody – whether AGP, CPI, CPM, or the new regional parties, the AIUDF. Our doors are open so that we might join hands together to defeat these anti-people divisive politics of the BJP party."
"They have failed on all fronts. They failed in the economic front, they failed in maintaining social harmony, they failed in agriculture, flood, in (managing the ) pandemic, in health, in infrastructure, roads, women development, road safety – in which area can they claim the credit?", Gogoi queried, adding that the Grand Old Party will set these issues as part of its agenda in the forthcoming Assam 2021 elections.
Gogoi said that although the talks have not started, but said that the process will be very soon. "Our message is very clear that we open for an alliance with everybody. We have not reached out formally, but the message has been given, and the response has been by-and-large positive", said Gogoi.
Rubbishing reports of senior Congress leaders joining BJP, Gogoi said that these are "false propaganda" being spread by the saffron brigade and its supporters. "They have made it very clear that they are not going. These people are still the pillars of strength of the Congress party and they are not going anywhere", Gogoi said.
Admitting that the Grand Old Party does not have a significant role to play in the upcoming polls in the Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD), Gogoi said, "It is true that we do not have a good organizational structure there, which is why we are only contesting a few of the seats."
Gogoi also took potshots at the Government for its handling of the flood situation and claimed that all the Congress MLAs and MPs have not received "publicity" for providing relief to the people. "Whereas, you can see the BJP MLAs and MPs winning plaudits for their work", the veteran politician pointed out.
The Congressman also lambasted the BJP over its handling of the COVID-19 crisis and said that the lockdown called to contain the outbreak of the contagion has been an absolute failure. "The way things are going, deaths from hunger will be more than deaths from the pandemic", Gogoi charged.