Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) President Sri Ripun Bora has condemned the statement of BJP President Sri JP Nadda that members of Congress party are 'political tourists' and says that such a denigrating statement of an opposition party is not expected by such a senior leader and President of a national party.
Ripun Bora reminded Nadda that BJP party was born in 1980 while Congress party was born in 1885. How can a party that has been in existence for 136 years, that brought freedom for its people from British domination and that ruled India and contributed towards nation building be termed as ' political tourist'? Bora also advised Nadda to brush up on his history.
The APCC President also said just because Congress party lost elections in Assam one cannot pass derogatory remarks like 'political tourists' for the party. He questioned- 'Does it also mean that wherever the BJP lost elections – in Bengal, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu that BJP has become 'political tourists?' He also questioned that where were the BJP leaders when Assam was ravaged by the floods in 2017 and 2018? While PM Narendra Modi could make out time to come to Assam umpteenth time for election campaigns why couldn't he find time to be near the people of the state during the floods?
Ripun Bora further stated that Congress party is not answerable to the BJP President on what the Congress party is doing during the Covid situation. People of the state know whether the Congress members in the various districts of Assam are with them or not. But the people of the state also know that it is due to the faulty Covid policy of the BJP Government at the Centre led by PM Modi that the people of Assam are suffering due to lack of vaccines. Today 50% of the Covid Vaccine Centres have been shut down in Assam. Very recently police had to resort to lathi charge in Covid Centres as people became restive due to lack of vaccines.
Ripun Bora advised Nadda that instead of discussing the Congress party in his virtual meetings with his party members he should ensure the safety of the people of Assam from Covid by facilitating the quick availability of vaccines as the longer the delay the greater is the threat to people's lives.
