New Delhi, Mar 20 (PTI) AAP’s Assam unit president Bhaben Chaudhary wrote to state Congress chief Bhupen Bora on Wednesday, asking him to stop projecting the Congress-AJP candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls as the nominees of the UOFA or the INDIA opposition bloc.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) withdrew its candidate from the Guwahati Lok Sabha constituency on Friday “for the sake of opposition unity” and to defeat the nominee of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
It said the Congress should also reciprocate the gesture and withdraw its candidates from Dibrugarh and Sonitpur, for which the AAP has declared its nominees.
In his letter, Chaudhary asked the Congress to release the official declaration by the 16 parties under the United Opposition Forum of Assam (UOFA), along with the signatures of their leaders, and announce the Lok Sabha poll candidates in 24 hours.
“As one of the 16 parties that constitute the United Opposition Forum of Assam (UOFA) and president of AAP, Assam, I am writing to you in continuation of my last letter … regarding opposition unity for the upcoming Lok Sabha election.
“Since you have not responded to our letter, it is clear that you have no interest in preserving opposition unity in Assam and defeating the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha election. The people of Assam will not forgive this adamant attitude of the Congress that has prevented opposition unity in Assam,” the AAP leader said.
The Congress announced the names of its candidate from 12 seats in the northeastern state last week, leaving Dibrugarh for UOFA partner Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) and remaining undecided on its candidate from Lakhimpur.
Chaudhary said it is “more shocking” that ever since the Congress announced that it will contest 13 Lok Sabha seats in Assam and the AJP one, “several Congress-AJP leaders and candidates have started spreading lies and falsehoods in the media and amongst the public that they are the United Opposition Forum of Assam (UOFA) or INDIA alliance candidates”.
“We demand that these misleading statements be stopped forthwith and strict disciplinary action taken against Congress-AJP candidates who are misleading the public. In case these indeed are the consensus UOFA candidates, then we request you to release the official declaration by the 16 parties under UOFA along with their signatures announcing the 14 Lok Sabha candidates in the next 24 hours,” he said.
Chaudhary said if no such declaration is released in 24 hours, “it will be clear to everyone that there is no opposition alliance or INDIA alliance in Assam, there is only an alliance between two parties in Assam — Congress and AJP”.
“… while several other parties under the UOFA like AAP, TMC and CPI(M) are fighting elections independently,” he added. PTI SLB RC
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