Congress holds first strategy session ahead of Assam polls, vows to unseat the 'most corrupt CM'

New Delhi: Congress top leadership on Friday evening held its first strategy session with its Assam leaders ahead of the Assembly elections in April-May in which the state functionaries were told to fight unitedly to unseat the “most corrupt Chief Minister and government”.

Party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi held the meeting with Assam leaders at the former’s residence in which General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal and senior observers DK Shivakumar, Bhupesh Baghel and Bandhu Tirkey also attended.

General Secretary and Assam in-charge Jitendra Singh, Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi and legislature party leader Debabrata Saikia were also present in the meeting that decided to hold a press conference on Tuesday followed by workers’ meetings between January 21 and 28 across state.

Congress, which ruled Assam between three consecutive terms between 2001 and 2016, has not won the last two Assembly elections and is seeking to wrest power from the BJP in Assam. The elections to the 126-member Assam Assembly are slated along with Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and West Bengal.

After the meeting, Baghel told reporters that the message from the ground is that Assam people and Congress workers have taken a decision to oust the “most corrupt Chief Minister Himanta Biswas Sarma and the most corrupt government”.

Asked about who will be Chief Ministerial candidate, amid reports that Gaurav would be the natural claimant to the post, Baghel said the issue does not come under their remit and the central leadership will decide such issues. He said the “biggest task” in Assam is to defeat the BJP.

Shivakumar, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister, said Assam is going to change and the guarantee is that the Congress will rule the state. “There will be no polarisation. There will be a clear message. We are united. Young blood is here (in the leadership). The unity message is clear,” he said.

Tirkey said tribals are facing atrocities under the BJP and Assam was no different where adivasi land is given to industrialists.