The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) on Monday staged a statewide protest, condemning what the party termed as a “conspiratorial registration” of an FIR by the BJP government against Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi.
The Congress leader had demanded stern action against BJP–RSS workers for carrying out a caste-based ‘purification’ ritual at the venue addressed by AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge in Haldwani, Uttarakhand recently.
Following the directives of APCC president Gaurav Gogoi, protest demonstrations were organised across all district headquarters of Assam, as well as at the party’s state headquarters, Rajiv Bhawan, opposing the BJP regime’s alleged political vendetta and blatant misuse of state machinery.
Moderated by Bedabrat Bora, chairman of the APCC media and communication department, the protest witnessed the participation of numerous senior leaders and legislators.
Prominent attendees included Congress Legislature Party (CLP) Leader Wazed Ali Choudhury, former APCC president Ripun Bora, MLAs, former MLAs, district leaders, office-bearers and workers of the Pradesh Congress and Kamrup (Metro) District Congress.
Addressing the gathering, former APCC president Ripun Bora launched a scathing attack on the alleged anti-democratic policies of the BJP and BJP-led government.
He claimed that following the success of Kharge’s public rally, BJP and RSS workers sent a “divisive message of caste discrimination” across the country under the guise of ‘purifying’ the ground.
“However, when Rahul Gandhi stood firm to defend the nation’s Constitution and democracy by demanding legal action against the perpetrators, the BJP-led Uttarakhand government retaliated with a fraudulent, politically motivated FIR against him instead,” he said.
Bora asserted that despite slapping “multiple fabricated” cases since 2014, the BJP has failed to intimidate or silence Rahul Gandhi, and the Congress will relentlessly fight to preserve and protect the Constitution of India.