After massive controversy on the ‘Gaddaars’ in opposition parties, the main opposition party of Assam, the Assam State Congress Party (APCC), identified its Gaddaars. APCC president Bhupen Kumar Borah made a confidential list of the cross-voters, who had voted in favour of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) nominee in presidential polls.
Talking to reporters here Borah said, “We make a list, who had voted for the ruling presidential nominee on the day of presidential polls of July 18. Six of our MLAs cross-voted and we collected the documents. We will submit the list to the high command for the next step. We will discuss the matter with the top leadership of the All India Congress Party (AICC) and take action against the Gaddaars.”
Former APCC leader and Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP)’s vice president Dulu Ahmed claimed that four Congress MLAs had voted for the NDA candidate. On his social media post, Ahmed uploaded photographs of four MLAs including Rekibuddin Ahmed, Jakir Hussain Sikdar, Nandita Das and Pradip Sarkar.
Talking to News18, Dulu Ahmed said, “I uploaded the photographs on social media. If they have the confidence, then they can file a case against me.”
Regarding Dulu Ahmed’s controversial claims, MLA Rejibuddin Ahmed said, “He has a mental disorder.”
Meanwhile, the suspended Congress MLA Sherman Ali Ahmed said, “Bhupen Kumar Borah is a BJP agent. There are a lot of Gaddaars in the top leadership of Congress. Top leadership had taken action against me because I belong to the Miya Muslim community. They did not take any action against Sachikanta Das, who openly supported the ruling BJP and the Chief Minister. The APCC president has not the capacity to take action against the traitor MLAs.”
In this Presidential Election, Assam had the highest number of MLAs, 22, from the Opposition parties who cross-voted in favour of NDA’s Droupadi Murmu. A total of 22-MLAs cross-voted for BJP, out of which according to Bhupen Borah, six were of the Congress. However, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday claimed that of the 22 opposition MLAs of the state, who voted for NDA nominee Droupadi Murmu in the presidential election defying their party line, 15-16 are from the Congress.
Altogether 124 MLAs of the 126-member assembly exercised their franchise in the presidential election on July 18, while two legislators from the AIUDF were outside the country. There are 44 opposition MLAs in the state assembly.
All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) chief Badruddin Ajmal had earlier announced that his party would support Murmu but in a turnaround a day before the presidential poll, it had decided to vote for the opposition nominee.
On the day of the election, AIUDF MLA Karimuddin Barbhuiya had claimed he had evidence that “20 Congress members, if not more, voted in favour of Murmu”.
Barbhuiya on Friday claimed that Assam’s Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia spearheaded the cross-voting of Congress MLAs.
Speaking to News18, Barbhuiya alleged that Saikia met the Assam Chief Minister along with over 20 Congress legislators. Expressing resentment with the state Congress leadership, he lamented that the Congress party was fighting AIUDF instead of BJP.
With inputs from News18
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