Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said that his party will protect every principle of the Assam Accord and will never implement the Citizenship (Amendment) Act or CAA if voted to power in the state. Addressing his first public rally in Assam ahead of the assembly elections due in March-April, Mr Gandhi said that the state needs its “own chief minister” who will listen to the voice of the people.
“The Assam Accord has brought peace and it is the protector of the state. I and my party workers will protect each principle of the Accord. There will not be a single deviation from it,” he said. Mr Gandhi said illegal immigration is an issue in Assam and expressed confidence that the people of the state have the capability to resolve the issue through dialogue.
Alleging that BJP and its ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) are trying to divide the state on the issue of Assam Accord, he said, “If Assam is divided, then Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Union Home Minister Amit Shah will not be affected, but the people of Assam and the rest of India will be affected.”
Targeting the current Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Mr Gandhi said Assam needs a chief minister from their “own people” who will listen to their issues and try to resolve them. “Remote control can operate a TV but not a CM (Chief Minister). The current CM listens to Nagpur and Delhi. If Assam gets a CM like this again, it will not benefit the people. The youths need a CM who will give jobs to them,” he said.
