Congress to file police complaint over BJP's videos 'targeting Gaurav Gogoi, Muslim community'

Guwahati: The Congress on Thursday said it will file a complaint with the Assam Police during the day over alleged AI-generated videos uploaded on social media by the BJP "targeting" the grand old party's state unit president Gaurav Gogoi and the Muslim community.

The Congress' social media and IT cell will file the complaint at the Dispur Police Station here for the registration of an FIR, a party spokesperson said.

The Assam BJP has been posting several videos on its 'X' handle since Monday, alleging that there is a threat from illegal immigrants in the state.

The first video has the tagline 'Assam without BJP' with AI images of "Muslims taking over Guwahati, the airport, stadium, tea estates and the Ahom-era amphitheatre Rangghar".

The video also has a caption - 'We can't let this dream of paijan to be true' and an appeal to people to ''choose to vote carefully''.

The BJP has been referring to Gogoi as 'paijan' ever since Chief Minister Himanta Biswa accused him of having alleged links with Pakistan's ISI.

Reacting to the video, Gogoi claimed, "The words, actions and images produced by the BJP IT cell do not have the strength to scratch the surface of Assamese society." "We will file a police complaint over AI-generated videos uploaded by the BJP targeting our state president Gaurav Gogoi and the Muslim community," the Assam Congress spokesperson said.

Gogoi said that the proud Assam deserves politicians who help the people of the state reach new heights.

''Assam has been nurtured by Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardeva, Azan Pir, Swargadeo Siukapha, Lachit Borphukan and Bhupen Hazarika. People with links to smuggling of cattle, coal, betel leaves, drugs will not dictate the Assamese mind," Gogoi, also the deputy leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, posted 'X'.

The Congress leader said his party wants to build "a society of pilots, engineers, doctors, entrepreneurs, bankers and business owners".

"We want to see a 'bor' (great) Assam where hard work trumps hate, decency matters over hubris, democracy crushes autocracy, and everyone is treated with respect," he said.

The Assam BJP, reacting to Gogoi's post, said, ''Visionary paijan wants to build a paradise where his own bloodline won’t dare to step foot!" ''He screams about a Bor Axom (great Assam) day and night, but funnily enough, he doesn’t want his own family anywhere near it! Wonder why? Maybe because even he knows that his so-called “Bor Axom” is nothing but a promised land reserved for the Kanglus (sic). Step down, No one is buying it," the BJP alleged on 'X'.

Assam Information and Public Relations (IPR) Minister Pijush Hazarika claimed that the Assam BJP's videos clearly spoke about the threat of "illegal immigrants who are changing Assam’s demography".

"But instantly these “champions of secularism” screamed Islamophobia! Now tell me — why the ‘mirchi’ if the issue is about illegals? "And here’s the real kicker — if, in their logic, talking about illegal immigrants = Islamophobia, then aren’t they themselves suggesting that all Muslims are illegal immigrants? Who’s the real Islamophobe here? Them or us?'', the minister wrote on X.

He also claimed, ''The Fault (read F-alt) (sic) gang of journalists and their pet ecosystem are bawling like ‘professional rotlus’ ever since @BJP4Assam dropped a video exposing what Assam’s future would look like if Paijan ever grabbed power." The chief minister, refusing to comment on the issue, claimed that these ''so-called Amul babies (apparently referring to Gogoi), who have no knowledge of anything, who only know how to advance on the strength of their PR - what threat do they pose to us?".

He alleged that they (Gogoi and Congress) have ''trivialised even a serious issue like going to Pakistan. What could be more shameful than this''.