Cong''s ''Mahajoot'' an unholy alliance, says Assam CM Sonowal

Guwahati, February 21 (PTI): Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Sunday described the opposition Congress-led ''Mahajoot'' as an "unholy alliance", saying it will not be acceptable to the people of the state as one of its constituents, the AIUDF, espouses the cause of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Sonowal said during the five-year rule of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government, peace was restored in Assam after uprooting insurgency and a corruption-free administration has been delivered.

"The so called ''Mahajoot'' led by the Congress is an unholy alliance. It is not an ideological alliance but an opportunist alliance. The AIUDF is a communal party which has always espoused the cause of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. How can the right thinking people of Assam accept it," he said in an interview to PTI.

The Congress stitched the alliance with the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), the Left parties and a regional party to fight the Assam assembly elections likely to be held in April-May.

The AIUDF is headed by Dhubri MP Maulana Badruddin Ajmal. 

"Whatever alliance the Congress has formed will not have any impact on the BJP or its allies. People will reject them," the 58-year-old chief minister said.

Sonowal, the BJP''s only tribal chief minister in the country, also said that the two recently formed regional parties -- Asom Jatiya Parishad and Raijor Dal -- will not be able to dent the prospects of the BJP-led alliance comprising the saffron party, Asom Gana Parishad and few ethnic groups.

"The people of Assam are not ready to experiment with some new political parties at a time when the BJP has been providing them efficient and responsive governance," he said.

Asked about the biggest achievements of his government, the chief minister said, peace was restored and insurgency uprooted in the state.

"Assam has seen worst kind of terrorist violence during the tenure of previous governments. But in the last five years, there has not been a single major incident of shootout or blast," he said.

Sonowal said that he has been able to deliver corruption-free administration and all recruitments in the state under him have been clean and transparent.

"There were many financial scams under previous governments. The recruitment process was full of scandals. There was hardly any job which one could get on merit. We have ended all these malpractices and brought hope to the people, especially the younger generation," he claimed.

Expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his continuous support, Sonowal said though the year 2020 was very challenging for the country, the prime minister has always been kind to Assam and provided liberal financial assistance and granted several mega infrastructure and industrial projects to the state.

"Only a few days ago the prime minister laid the foundation stone for a Rs 5,000 crore bridge over Brahmaputra and it will be longest bridge (19 km) in the country," he said.

The chief minister said his government has come out with a comprehensive new land policy and distributed land ''pattas'' (land rights) to over 3.35 lakh indigenous landless families.

Moreover, the government has taken up exhaustive measures to boost organic farming and as a result area under organic farming increased from 6,000 hectares in 2015-16 to 43,000 hectares, he said.