Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge meet Congress leaders from Assam to discuss poll strategy

New Delhi: Congress will weave a narrative around corruption, divisiveness and vendetta against political opponents Himanta Biswas Sarma-led BJP government in Assam in the run up to the Assembly election to be held within 14 months in the state.

Leaders from the state held detailed discussions with the central leadership in the national capital on the way ahead for the party in Assam, where it has been out of power since 2016, on Thursday. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi attended the meeting.

This is the first in a series of meetings with leadership of states, which is headed to Assembly elections in the next one year. On Friday, the central leaders would meet leaders and MPs from Kerala while the meeting of Bihar leaders is likely to be on Saturday. Bihar is going to polls later this year, while both Assam and Kerala would go to Assembly elections in the first half of next year.

In the meeting on Assam, Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal, Congress General Secretary and Assam in-charge Jitendra Singh, Congress Lok Sabha Deputy Leader Gaurav Gogoi and Assam Congress President Bhupen Bora among others attended the meeting.

Though Congress would not be announcing a face for the party in the election, Gogoi, the son of late Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, is speculated to have emerged the top leader in the state.

If the Congress has not acknowledged it officially, Sarma appears to be certain about Gogoi's increasing role in Assam as he attacked the Congress leader, claiming that his foreigner-wife worked with Pakistan's ISI. Gogoi and Congress had hit back at Sarma over the allegations.

At the meeting, sources said the leadership made it clear to the state leaders that they need to remain united to overthrow the BJP government in the state.

"In a year, the people of Assam shall discard the politics of corruption, division and vendetta. 3.5 crore people of Assam look towards the Congress to usher in this change. No amount of select-media driven propaganda can shake their resolve for transformation," Kharge posted on 'X'.

Gogoi said the leadership instructed them to move forward. "If we have to save democracy in Assam, the corrupt BJP government there has to be uprooted. Everyone knows that there is an atmosphere of unrest in society. The corrupt regime that Sarma has established has to be destroyed," he said.

In a show of unity, Assam leaders had on Monday held a joint press conference in Delhi and launched a scathing attack on Sarma, levelling allegations of land grabbing among other things.