Congress Puts BJP in the Dock During Shah’s Assam Visit

Following Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Assam, a familiar question resurfaced—what has really changed for the people after ten years of BJP rule? Instead of focusing on speeches and promises, the Congress pressed for clear answers. Senior leader Pawan Khera raised a series of tough questions that continued to echo even after Shah’s visit concluded.

In a post on social media platform ‘X’, Khera remarked that despite ten years in power, the BJP government’s promises to Assam remain largely on paper. Why, he asked, do old assurances still echo without resolution? Raising ten pointed questions, Khera urged Amit Shah to seek explanations from his “disciple,” Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, and place those answers before the people of Assam.

One of the most persistent questions, Khera said, concerns Scheduled Tribe status. “If Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised ST status within six months, and Himanta Biswa Sarma promised it within five years, why have twelve years passed without justice for the Koch-Rajbongshi, Tai Ahom, Moran, Matak, Chutia and Tea Tribe communities?” he asked. Was it a delay—or a deliberate silence?

Khera also questioned the fate of Assam’s land. Alleging that nearly 1.5 lakh bighas of indigenous land have been transferred to corporate entities close to the BJP, he asked why the Chief Minister appears to have been given unchecked authority to sell land. “Who is this land being sold for, and at whose cost?” Khera asked.

If land, rivers and forests are being handed over, Khera wondered, where are the jobs? Why are Assamese youths still forced to migrate to other states in search of work, often facing discrimination and insecurity? “Has development only meant displacement?” he asked.

The Congress leader also raised concerns over the deletion of lakhs of indigenous voters’ names from electoral rolls. Is Assamese identity becoming weaker with every revision, he wondered, or is it being systematically erased?

Turning to the tea sector, Khera asked why Minimum Support Price remains a distant promise. “Does the BJP work for the people of Assam, or for big tea companies?” he asked, leaving the question unanswered.

Healthcare, too, came under scrutiny. After ten years of BJP rule, why does Assam still lag behind in medical infrastructure and services? Why do concerns over contaminated water sources persist, and what concrete action has the government actually taken?

Referring to the BJP’s slogan of protecting “Jati, Mati, Bheti,” Khera posed a stark question: “If identity has weakened, land has been sold, and trust has been broken, what remains of that promise?” He further alleged that under BJP rule, Assam and the Northeast stand politically orphaned, with voices unheard in Delhi.

On foreign policy, Khera questioned whether the Centre’s failures have pushed Bangladesh closer to China, creating new security and humanitarian challenges for Assam. “Are these consequences accidental—or ignored?” he asked, asserting that both Amit Shah and Himanta Biswa Sarma owe answers to the people.

Khera concluded by stating that the Congress would continue asking these questions. “If the government will not answer, the people will demand answers,” he said.

At Chachal, Opposition Asks: Is ‘Vote Chori’ the Last Weapon?

Even as these questions hung in the air, the united opposition gathered at Chachal, where Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) President Gaurav Gogoi appealed for strong public opinion against what he described as vote chori during voter list revision.

Addressing thousands of protesters, Gogoi asked whether democracy itself is under threat in Assam. “If the government is confident of the people, why is it afraid of their votes?” he asked, accusing the BJP of running a “government of thieves and looters.”

Declaring that the fall of the Himanta Biswa Sarma government is inevitable, Gogoi said, “If everything is clean, why this desperation? Why this attempt to snatch voting rights?” He claimed that the Chief Minister, despite controlling the Home Department, has failed to dismantle syndicates. “Is power being used to protect the people—or to protect plunder?” he asked.

Gogoi alleged that Sarma’s urgency to return to power stems from a desire to expand wealth in the name of his family and to hand over land belonging to the Bodo, Rabha and Karbi communities to corporate houses like Adani and Ambani. “Is vote chori being used to secure power, not governance?” he asked.

“The opposition is united. And seeing this unity, people are no longer afraid,” Gogoi said. “In a democracy, the most powerful force is the people. The question now is—does the government remember that?”

Opposition Voices Rise: Can Democracy Be Taken for Granted?

Addressing the gathering, Assam Jatiya Parishad President Lurinjyoti Gogoi asked why promises such as ST status for six communities were forgotten, while voting rights are now under question.

CPM State Secretary Suprakash Talukdar wondered aloud whether a government that undermines constitutional rights still deserves to govern.

Raijor Dal Secretary Russell Hussain questioned how allegations of syndicates involving cement, coal, fish, eggs and areca nut continue to surface. “If there is nothing to hide, why silence dissent?” he asked, alleging accumulation of wealth in the Chief Minister’s family.

CPI(ML) State Secretary Bibek Das asked whether democracy is being slowly strangled. “The right to vote was earned through sacrifice. Who has the authority to take it away?” he asked, accusing the Chief Minister of divisive remarks against the Miya community. Drawing an analogy, he said, “When water dries up, fish struggle. Perhaps that struggle is now visible.”

Former APCC President Bhupen Kumar Bora asked whether vote chori has become the government’s final option, while Mahila Congress President Mira Borthakur questioned whether the Election Commission has become a “toothless tiger.”

With senior leaders and thousands of supporters present, one question echoed across Chachal and beyond: are these isolated allegations—or signs of a deeper unease in Assam’s democracy?

Also Read: Amit Shah’s Fresh Remarks Spark Sharp Reaction from KMSS Leader in Assam