Assam Assembly Polls: BJP says AIDUF biggest threat to Assam and its culture

As polls approach in Assam, the ruling BJP considers Badruddin Ajmal's All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) as the biggest threat to the state and its people, Assam Cabinet Minister and senior BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma told NDTV.

Alleging that local parties have not been able to reach out to the local population, Sarma said, "In the polls, there will be a fight between the BJP and Congress-AIUDF. Ajmal is always a factor given the area Assam is. He is a threat to the culture and civilisation."

The debate around the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is taking center stage in this election. The agitation against the CAA turned violent in Assam in December 2019, leading to the formation of the Congress-AIUDF alliance.

Commenting on their alliance, BJP National Vice President and state in-charge for Assam, Baijayant Jay Panda said, "Now the Congress have tied up with the AIUDF and it talks of identity politics. I think Congress is talking about its own survival. They should focus in Congress bachao, not Assam bachao. Late Tarun Gogoi used to shun like the plague the AIUDF and Ajmal, for being communal. BJP stands for Indianness. We are on the right side."

Assam will go to polls on March 27 in three phases.