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Kokrajhar, Feb. 5: The underlying tension between the Congress and its coalition partner, Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) appears to have worsened with BPF president and BTC chief Hagrama Mohilary today terming Congress leader and parliamentary secretary Bhupen Bora, “a communal leader working against the Bodos and other indigenous people”.
Talking to reporters here today, Mohilary said, “If Assamese society has people like Bhupen Bora, then it will not take long for Assam to divide into pieces.”
The comment comes in the wake of Bora’s alleged statement during a panchayat rally at Bihpuria in Lakhimpur district that the AK-47 rifle should be the BPF election symbol, hinting the party could have played a role in last year’s communal clashes in the Bodo belt.
Things have aggravated after Bora said if he was given the charge of campaigning in Kokrajhar constituency during the parliamentary elections in 2014, he could defeat the BPF.
In response, Mohilary said, “We have nothing to say if he campaigns in Kokrajhar but they (the Congress) need to clarify if we need to help them in other constituencies. Whenever there is an election in Assam, I am able to campaign for only two to three days in Kokrajhar. During the campaigning days, I worked extensively for the Congress in as many as 14 constituencies including Guwahati, Kaliabor, Lakhimpur, Karbi Anglong, Mangaldoi and helped them win in four-five constituencies. I don’t know if he is aware about it. If things happen like Bhupen Bora said, then there is every possibility that the Congress need to rethink their strategy.”
Mohilary said they have filed a complaint with the state election commissioner agai-nst Bora for his remarks. On the ongoing panchayat election, Mohilary said they are contesting alone in Guwahati, Gauripur, Bilasipara West and East and supporting an Independent candidate at Tamarhat in Dhubri district.
On the recent kidnapping in BTAD, he said it been carried by out by the NDFB. “The people need to cooperate with the administration in order to stop the abductions.”
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