The "real fight" in Assam is between the ideology propagated by Narendra Modi and Badruddin Ajmal, Assam minister and BJP's poll strategist, Himanta Biswa Sarma said in at least two election rallies on Monday, two days before second phase of elections in the state.
Sarma'a attack on Ajmal is seen as his attempt to polarise voters ahead of second and third phase of elections on April 1 and April 6 respectively, where Muslim votes are likely to be crucial.
"It's not just a fight between BJP and Congress-AIUDF candidate. The real fight is between Modi and Ajmal and the ideologies that they stand for. Ajmal says if Congress-led government comes to power, they will open the Madrassas. Modiji says we need more engineering colleges and medical colleges. They want to make some mollahs not doctors or engineers. Ajaml says in his government, women will be encouraged to give birth to more and more children. So just imagine in what direction our society, our youths will go if they come to power," Sarma said at Bokoliaghat in tribal-dominated Karbi Anglong district and in Sipajhar in Darrang district.
The BJP-led government in the state had earlier decided to stop all government-aided Madrassas saying that it was against providing religious education with government money.
"It's a fight between two ideologies. And so we must protect our ideology and culture from Ajaml by voting for BJP," Sarma said at Sipajhar, where BJP has fielded Paramananda Rajbongshi, former president of Asam Sahitya Sabha, the state's 100-year-old literary body.
Sarma had earlier said by aligning with Ajmal, Congress had poralised the elections as the AIUDF chief was a "threat to the composite Assamese culture". "Ajmal is propagating Miya language and culture (of the Bengali speaking Muslims), which must he stopped," Sarma had said earlier.
BJP and its allies are likely to face tough fight from the Congress-led grand alliance in at least 33 Muslim dominated constituenices in Barak Valley (Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi districts) in the second phase and in Western Assam (Dhubri, South Salmara, Goalpara, Barpeta and Darrang districts) in the third and final phase. BJP had in 2016 won in several seats in these districts mainly due to division of Muslim votes between Congress and AIUDF.
Assam has 126 Assembly seats and election for 47 seats was held on March 27.
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