Priyanka Gandhi Vadra dismissed Sarma’s claims about a past chance to become Congress CM, urging him to talk about governance, youth employment and plans for the next five years in Assam.
She accused the Assam government of corruption, alleging concentration of wealth in “one family” and transfer of state assets to big industrialists.
Appealing to voters, Vadra said people are recognising the need for “change” and called for positive, development-focused politics.
Let Himanta speak on plans for next 5 yrs, not 10-year-old issue: Priyanka Gandhi
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra criticised Himanta Biswa Sarma, saying he should focus on jobs, development and future plans for Assam instead of reviving an old Congress-era leadership dispute.
Summary
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday said Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma should speak on jobs, development and plans for the next five years instead of raising a “10-year-old” issue about his alleged chance of becoming the state’s Congress CM.
Speaking to reporters here, Vadra also targeted Sarma over alleged corruption, concentration of wealth in “one family” and “handing over” of the state’s assets to big industrialists. She claimed that people of Assam were realising that the time had come for a “change”.
"There are many decisions taken in politics. Some go in favour, some against. We have to bear with it. What would I say if he (Sarma) is still crying over the 10-year-old issue," Vadra said, when asked about Sarma's recent claims on the possibility of becoming a Congress CM.
Sarma on Tuesday claimed the then Congress president Sonia Gandhi had asked him to decide on the date for his swearing in as Assam CM when 58 party MLAs supported him in 2014. The scenario, however, changed after Rahul Gandhi, who was in the US then, made phone calls to party leaders, he alleged.
The Assam Congress had witnessed dissidence after the 2011 assembly polls, with a section of MLAs backing Sarma as the CM, replacing incumbent Tarun Gogoi. Sarma left the party to join the BJP in 2015, and played a pivotal role in ensuring the saffron party's first victory in the assembly polls in 2016.
"Please tell the CM that he should speak about Assam's development. Let him speak about Assam's people and tell what he has done for them. Let him speak what he is going to do in the next five years. The youth wants to know it," Vadra said.
The youth and women want jobs, and the public cannot be misled so easily, she asserted.
"People can see how Assam's assets are being handed over to one family and big industrialists. These assets belong to the people of Assam. The land being given away are people's properties," Vadra said.
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Appealing to voters, particularly the youth, Vadra urged them to support “positive politics” focused on strengthening the state.
"You have seen how much corruption has taken place. This corruption is a betrayal with the people of Assam. They are seeing this and understanding it. They are also identifying that time has come for a change," the Congress leader added.
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