BJP Won’t Cross 40 Seats if Himanta Stays CM: Rakibul Hussain

Guwahati: Congress MP Rakibul Hussain on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, accusing his government of committing “unprecedented injustice” against the people of Cachar and the Barak Valley, particularly the Bengali Hindu community.

Addressing a public gathering in Katigorah in Cachar district, Hussain claimed that no previous Chief Minister had “done as much injustice to Cachar and the Barak Valley” as the current BJP-led government. He alleged that despite overwhelming electoral support from Bengali Hindus, the community has been systematically sidelined under the Himanta Biswa Sarma administration.

“Nearly 90 per cent of Bengali Hindus voted for the BJP. What did they get in return? Not even a place to sit in Dispur,” Hussain said, pointing to what he described as a sharp decline in Bengali Hindu representation in the state cabinet. He noted that while there are currently only one Bengali Hindu minister in the Himanta cabinet, the previous Congress government under Tarun Gogoi had four Bengali ministers.

“The injustice done to the Bengali community under this government is something history will record. No other Chief Minister has gone this far,” he asserted.

Hussain further alleged that the present government treats Bengali Hindus as “second-class citizens”, a charge he said he was making in his personal capacity. “This is not the Congress party saying it — I, Rakibul Hussain, am saying it openly,” he told the crowd, invoking former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi’s tradition of speaking candidly on sensitive issues.

The Congress MP also criticised the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), arguing that it would institutionalise discrimination rather than protect vulnerable communities. According to him, those granted citizenship under the Act would be forced to declare persecution in Bangladesh and yet remain deprived of equal opportunities.

“They may get citizenship, but they will still be treated as second-class citizens — denied jobs and dignity,” he said. “In the Barak Valley, no citizen is second-class. Everyone here is first-class. We do not need the CAA.”

Turning to electoral politics, Hussain predicted a steep decline in BJP’s fortunes if Himanta Biswa Sarma continues as Chief Minister. He claimed the ruling party would struggle to cross 30–40 seats in the 126-member Assam Assembly.

The Congress, he said, along with its alliance partners, would contest all 126 constituencies. Citing what he claimed were the Chief Minister’s own admissions about organisational weaknesses within the BJP, Hussain argued that the opposition already has a strong head start.

“If they cannot even field candidates in all 126 seats, and the Congress secures 26 seats even before polling, then we need just 37 more to form the government,” he said, projecting Gaurav Gogoi as the party’s Chief Ministerial face.

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