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The Bharatiya Janata Party on May 26 criticised the Assam Congress over its recent choice of Legislative Party leader, alleging that the opposition party was moving away from the interests of indigenous communities in the state.

Addressing a press conference in Guwahati, BJP Assam spokesperson Kishore Upadhyay claimed that the Congress leadership in Assam was increasingly prioritising “Bengali-origin migrant Muslim interests” over indigenous concerns. He alleged that the party’s latest internal decision reflected a broader ideological shift within the state unit.

According to the BJP leader, the interests of the “40 per cent migrant Muslim population” appeared to hold greater importance for the Congress than the aspirations of the “60 per cent indigenous people of Assam”.

Upadhyay also referred to past Congress leaders while criticising the party’s political direction. He alleged that earlier Congress-era leadership had weakened nationalist ideals and contributed to demographic and political changes in Assam. Naming former leaders such as Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, Moinul Hoque Choudhury and Devakanta Barua, he claimed that present-day Congress leaders were continuing a similar political approach.

The BJP spokesperson further alleged that the newly chosen Congress Legislative Party leader had earlier been known as Wajed Ali Miya and later changed his surname to “Choudhury” through an affidavit for political reasons. He also claimed that the leader had previously been associated with the All Assam Minority Students’ Union (AAMSU), which emerged during the Assam Agitation period.

Upadhyay said the Congress’ latest decision had exposed the direction in which the party intended to lead Assam.

During the briefing, the BJP also welcomed the Assam government’s introduction of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC)-2026 Bill in the Legislative Assembly. Upadhyay described it as a fulfilment of the government’s pre-election commitments under Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

He said the proposed UCC drew from Article 44 of the Constitution and Supreme Court judgments in the Shah Bano case and the Shayara Bano case. According to him, the legislation would strengthen India’s democratic framework.

Commenting on 12 years of the NDA government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Upadhyay highlighted the abrogation of Article 370, the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, GST implementation, the Swachh Bharat Mission, expansion of UPI-based digital payments, Ayushman Bharat, infrastructure growth and defence sector reforms as key achievements.