Guwahati: Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the BJP, alleging that the ruling party is selectively rewriting Assam’s history and pushing divisive politics ahead of the crucial 2026 Assembly elections.
Addressing the media, Bordoloi said the upcoming elections would be a defining moment for Assam’s democracy, determining whether the state moves towards being corruption-free, progressive and socially harmonious, or continues on what he described as a path of deep division and polarisation.
Bordoloi alleged that since coming to power in 2016, the BJP’s core political strategy in Assam has revolved around religious polarisation, particularly by “othering” the Muslim community to consolidate votes. He claimed that this narrative has been used repeatedly for nearly a decade and has now reached a saturation point, with people increasingly seeing through what he termed a political “smokescreen.”
According to the Congress MP, this alleged smokescreen is being used to divert attention from serious issues such as corruption, rapid personal enrichment by those in power, and the growth of what he called a “syndicate economy.” He further alleged that recent eviction drives are being carried out by exploiting public sentiment, while the land cleared is ultimately being handed over to large corporate interests rather than being used for the welfare of indigenous communities.
Bordoloi also accused the BJP of attempting to reinterpret Assam’s past by selectively glorifying certain historical figures while erasing syncretic traditions and inconvenient historical truths. He stressed that Assam’s civilisation is rooted in inclusive and egalitarian traditions shaped by figures such as Srimanta Sankardev and Azan Fakir, and warned against attempts to redraw this identity along narrow religious lines.
Citing what he called the distortion of Ahom history, Bordoloi referred to debates questioning the role of Bagh Hazarika (Yusuf Siddiqui), saying such narratives aim to deny documented contributions of Muslim figures in Assam’s resistance against Mughal invasions.
Defending the Congress, Bordoloi rejected claims that the party sidelined Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi, asserting that the freedom fighter and first Chief Minister of Assam fought from within the Congress and benefited from its internal democratic culture during the Partition era. He contrasted this with the BJP, questioning the absence of internal democratic processes within the ruling party, while highlighting leadership elections within the Congress.
As chairman of the Congress manifesto committee, Bordoloi said the party is preparing a “people’s manifesto” through extensive grassroots consultations. He claimed that over 1,000 stakeholder meetings have already been held across Assam, involving ethnic organisations, economic stakeholders, professionals and civil society groups.
On alliance politics, Bordoloi said the opposition alliance would be Congress-led but respectful of its partners. He described the figure of contesting around 100 seats as a rough benchmark and assured that alliance partners would be given due recognition.
Clarifying the party’s stand on infiltration, Bordoloi said the Congress supports the deportation of genuine foreigners strictly under the law, but would oppose the targeting or persecution of Indian citizens solely on religious grounds.
