On Tuesday, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge urged people of Assam to get rid of the BJP-led government, which he termed the most corrupt government in the country and he also made a scathing attack on Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma by accusing him of making himself richer than the people. In his last day campaigning before the April 9 assembly elections, Kharge told a press conference that the feeling of the people was that they wanted change, and Congress would be in a position to win at least 72-73 of the 126 seats of the assembly.
You have a chance to eliminate the most corrupt government in Assam. Kharge added that there is no other chief minister in the country who is as arrogant and corrupt as Himanta Biswa Sarma. He charged Sarma with taking advantage of his office to enrich himself by purchasing several firms, tea plantations and posh resorts instead of working to benefit the people. He mentioned too that there were serious allegations against Sarma and his wife, possession of various passports, properties in Dubai and a company in the U.S. and why nothing had been done by the BJP-led central government.
Kharge claimed that the BJP government in Assam had a syndicate that took commissions and handed over thousands of acres of land to big business, which made ministers and officials rich. Stressing on the cultural pride of the state, he claimed that the people did not want to accept arrogance and corruption in the leadership and called on people to support the Congress and restore transparency and accountability. He also confronted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on the matter and was wondering how they could allow such corruption to prevail in their governance claims.
The sentiments expressed by Kharge indicated the aggressive campaign posture of Congress, which aimed at addressing alleged financial malpractices as well as the misuse of power by the BJP leaders of the state.