What Ayodhya issue is nationally to BJP, infiltration is in Assam for poll: Gogoi

Guwahati, April 10: BJP raises the issue of infiltration from Bangladesh into Assam just like it flags the Ayodhya issue nationally ahead of every elections, according to Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.

He says BJP rakes up the illegal migration issue and Ram temple before each elections but does not want to solve them because of vote-bank politics. "Actually, they (BJP) remember the infiltration issue always just before the election.

In Assam, the issue is like what Ram Mandir is for them nationally. They will never solve it but will keep alive the issue for doing vote-bank politics," Gogoi said in an interview.

In its bid to woo indigenous Assamese voters, BJP has given infiltration a major space in its campaign agenda during the ongoing Assembly polls and is attacking the Gogoi-led Congress government of encouraging illegal immigration from Bangladesh for getting votes of Bengali-speaking Muslims.

Questioning the role and motive of the saffron party, Gogoi accused the BJP-led NDA government of not doing anything to solve the problem despite being in the power twice. "You (BJP) were at the Centre twice.

Your partner AGP was in power twice in the state when you were at the Centre. Why did you not take any action?" said the veteran Congressman. Gogoi said "you have your party units in every district and town. If there are so many infiltrators, then why are you not informing or complaining to the police or to the local authorities?" Led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah, almost all BJP leaders have been attacking Congress of being sympathetic to Bangladeshi infiltrators, while Congress is claiming credit of expanding border fencing and updating the National Register of Citizens under the Supreme Court guidelines.

When pointed to the gradual change in Assam's demography, Gogoi said "yes, demography of Assam is changing. But is it changing because of influx or population explosion due to illiteracy? We have go and address the actual cause of this problem."

According to a 2011 Census report, Muslims constituted 34.2 per cent of Assam's population compared to 30.9 per cent a decade earlier.

Assam's 9 out of 27 districts are now Muslim-majority, compared to six districts in 2001.

PTI