Cong alliance will definitely form government in Assam, asserts Debabrata Saikia

GUWAHATI: The Congress today claimed it will definitely form the government in Assam after the Assembly elections due in March-April.

Talking exclusively to InsideNE, Congress Legislature Party leader Debabrata Saikia today said: “We need to win 64 seats in the 126-member to be invited to form the government, and we are confident we along with our allies will win at least one seat more than the BJP and its allies. I don’t know anything more than that because I am a student of Arts and I am weak in Mathematics. I don’t want to calculate anything more.”

The BJP has launched a Mission 100+ campaign over the past few months.

State Congress president Ripun Bora had, however, said the other day: “We had earlier stated that we will definitely win 80 seats. But since we have entered an alliance, I am sure we will win more than 100 seats.”

Appealing to the Raijor Dal and Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) to reconsider their stance against forging alliance with the Congress, Saikia said: “The two new regional parties are expecting to win the elections of their own. They are unaware of the ground realities. We are still hopeful that they will reconsider their stance.”

He went on to add that the new parties might be of the notion that the Congress was irrelevant as on date, “but they are wrong in the present perspective”.

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“Hoping to form government without the Congress is a distant reality in Assam for any regional party as on date,” he said.

Asked about some recent communal remarks by Congress’ ally All India United Democratic Front supremo Badruddin Ajmal during electioneering, Saikia said: “I am not aware of anything as such. But, if any of our allies have done so, I would request them to exercise restraint and refrain from making any communal statement. I appeal for peaceful coexistence of all communities.”