"BJP Has Completely Politicised Assam NRC": Congress's Gaurav Gogoi

Ahead of the crucial second phase of Assam election on Thursday, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, son of ex-chief minister Tarun Gogoi, has alleged that the ruling BJP led alliance has "completely politicised the Assam NRC".

"On this NRC (National Register of Citizens), we have spent bulk of Rs 800 crore. Most of the work was done by the Congress government. The myth of NRC has been busted by the letter of the Registrar General of India (RGI). We are (a) party of governance; we know how the government works. We shall give legal aid to all those who have been excluded. We will help Bengali citizens and Gorkha-origin people to get through this complicated legal procedure," Mr Gogoi told NDTV.

The citizen list has emerged as a major poll issue in Assam. In its manifesto, the BJP has promised initiation of a process to "correct and reconcile" the entries made as part of the Supreme Court - mandated National Register of Citizens exercise, as it seeks to "protect genuine Indian citizens and exclude all illegal immigrants".

Hitting out at the ruling party, the 38-year-old Congress leader said: "The BJP has completely politicised the NRC. When it suited their politics, they were on the side of Supreme Court. Later, they said they didn't accept the NRC. Powerful ministers are saying they won't accept the NRC. It is unfortunate how so many Indian-origin people have been left out of and they will have to through this complicated process." 

The three-phased state elections in Assam began on Saturday; the state will vote for the second phase on Thursday. The Congress-led 'Mahajoth' is trying to give a tough fight to the ruling BJP.

Talking about the first phase polls, Mr Gogoi said: "I am very proud of my party's efforts. We are fighting this election without my father, who was extremely revered in upper Assam. To go into an election in upper Assam, we almost felt it was a very vulnerable point for our party. I must give credit to our AICC general secretary, the way he marshalled our party rank and file. The guidance from Chattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, who lent his vast experience, has also helped."

"Needless to say, there has been a tremendous amount of moral and emotional support from the Gandhi family. We campaigned extremely aggressively. We did large and small meetings. Our 5-guarantee campaign was a very positive campaign," he asserted.

Mr Gogoi added that for the second phase, the party will be joining forces with alliance partners.

"The constituencies we are going to focus more is middle Assam and Barak valley. I think, if we look at the last Lok Sabha, we did extremely well in Middle Assam, Nagaon, Morigaon, etc. We are going to focus lot more in Barak valley".

He also claimed the 10-party alliance is working hard on the ground.

"BJP state president Ranjeet Kumar Dass is not even contesting from the seat that he won the last time. The fact he is not confident of winning from his last seat is a reflection of how people of lower Assam have put confidence in our alliance. For certain seats, we did go to each other's constituencies. We all have our own set of issues which we have prioritized. We are trying to help the candidates to keep motivated. I am confident that our campaign is working. This is why Prime Minister Narendra Modi is campaigning so many times, the Home Minister is coming so many times" Mr Gogoi further added.

Results for Assam elections will be out on May 2.