Congress to launch 'Save Assam' bus yatra ahead of Assembly polls

Ahead of the Assembly elections in Assam, the opposition Congress on Wednesday announced that the party would launch a bus yatra campaign titled "Asom Bachao Ahok" (Come, let's save Assam) from four parts of the state from February 12. The buses will move across the state for two weeks and party leaders will meet voters to discuss issues concerning Assam.

"With these bus yatras, the top leadership of the party will fan out to the remotest corners of the state and discuss with people its issues and problems," the campaign committee chairman of the party, Pradyut Bordoloi, said at a press conference here.

Bordoloi will lead the yatra from Borduwa Satra, the birthplace of Srimant Sankardeva, the 15th century cultural and religious icon of the state.

Lok Sabha MP Gaurav Gogoi, MLA Debabrata Saikia and All India Mahila Congress President Sushmita Dev will lead the campaign from Guwahati, Sivasagar and Silchar respectively.

"The people of the state are fed up with the BJP's misrule. In my yatra, I shall be interacting with diverse sections of the society to understand what needs to be done over the next five years to bring peace and prosperity in Assam," said Bordoloi, the MP of Nagaon.

Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Ripun Bora said that the party will reach out to every household in the state to know their sufferings and the hardships they had to endure during the five years of the BJP's "misrule".

The Assembly election in Assam is likely to be held in March-April.

Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party general secretary Bandip Dutta and BJP leader from Darrang district Pinku Moni Das joined the Congress along with their supporters in the presence of Bora and other senior members of the party.