Guwahati, June 28: Veteran Congress MP Biren Singh Engti has responded to the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council poll debacle even before the Assam PCC could showcause him.
Both Engti and the Assam PCC believe that the election was rigged.
The Telegraph had reported on Monday that the Assam PCC's core committee had on Sunday decided to showcause both Karbi Anglong DCC president Engti and West Karbi Anglong DCC chief Sarthe Kramsa for the party's "shocking" performance in the June 17 polls, where it failed to win a single seat.
Also drawing a blank in the poll were HSDC and the AGP, which contested despite being a coalition partner of the BJP at Dispur. BJP won 24 of the 26 seats while BJP rebel candidates won the remaining two.
Engti told The Telegraph that he and Kramsa had personally met Assam PCC president Ripun Bora at his residence in Guwahati on Monday evening and submitted separate memoranda explaining the reasons for the defeat.
On the contents of the letter, Engti, the seven-time MP, said the polls were unfair, undemocratic and that they will not accept the "illegal" results.
"The polls were unfair, undemocratic. There was largescale rigging. There were issues with the ballot papers and ballot boxes. Not only us but even the HSDC failed to win a single seat," he said
"Even during the peak of the Autonomous State Demand Committee (ASDC) movement for statehood in 1989, we managed to win a couple of seats despite a "bar" on campaigning by the Congress," Engti said.
"The PCC president said we should have won at least one seat. I told him this time there was no wave in favour of the BJP. People were dissatisfied with the BJP-led government. Despite campaigning we lost badly. We should have won at least nine or 10 seats. We will not accept this illegal result," he said.
PCC president Bora had offered a similar explanation when he was contacted after the results were declared on June 19. "There was largescale rigging. Official machinery was misused. Money and muscle power were used," he iterated today. He said there was no question of issuing a showcause as Engti and Kramsa had formally explained the reasons. There was also no question of effecting any change in the existing set-up because steps for holding organisational polls are under way. "The process will be completed by October," Bora said.
