Too many unfulfilled promises will pull down BJP in 2019 polls: Gogoi

Guwahati: Former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi, who led Congress’s resistance against the fast-expanding base of BJP in Assam before the 2014 Lok Sabha election and 2016 assembly election, has said the saffron party’s habit of ‘promising everything to everybody’ will see its fall next year when the state goes to the polls. The octogenarian leader was the first Congressman to rule the state for three consecutive terms from 2001.
“Wherever they (BJP leaders and ministers) go they say yes to people’s demands. They tell Bodos they will get a separate state. They tell Karbis they will consider autonomy for them. They promise ST status to different communities,” Gogoi told TOI. “Now that they are not able to fulfil their promises, people have begun to realize something is amiss. Their (BJP’s) promises also contradict each other,” he added.

Taking the case of the National Register of Citizens—which is being currently updated in the second phase to identify illegal migrants—he said BJP is under pressure from its allies over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, which would grant citizenship to ‘minority’ communities from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan. This, other parties have said, runs contrary to the objective of the NRC.

Gogoi is of the view that the fast-changing popular perception of BJP will help Congress in a big way in the next election, both in Assam as well as in other northeastern states. A fortnight ago, BJP president Amit Shah had set the target of winning all 25 LS seats from the northeast, including Sikkim, in the next general election. Contradicting him, Gogoi said, “Congress will do well. Our performance was very poor in 2014. We got three seats in Assam. This time, we could get double that number. Or even more.”

In support of his view he said in 1996, Congress lost (to AGP). Just two years later, in the 1998 Lok Sabha election, the party won 10 seats in Assam out of 14. “We did it earlier. We can do it again,” he said.

The former chief minister is hopeful that the party’s ability to reorganize itself after every defeat will help it win the two forthcoming crucial elections. “What we need is a winning combination of experienced and young leaders. With Rahul-ji taking charge at the national level, there has been greater emergence of young leaders. The response on the social media has been good, well beyond my expectations. We had failed miserably on this front, but things are changing fast,” he said, adding, “I consider myself outdated, but even I have noticed the change.”

On the party’s inability to form governments in Manipur and Meghalaya despite being the largest party, Gogoi remarked that in the northeast, regional parties play a very important role. “And they want to align themselves with the party in power at the Centre. There is no question of ideology. NE states need help from the Centre. BJP can manipulate such a situation to its advantage. What matters here is freedom, democracy, development, jobs and social harmony. People will soon understand who can uphold these principles and keep the country going.”

Mizoram, which is the last remaining bastion of Congress, goes to the polls towards the end of this year and Gogoi is confident the state would not slip out of their hands. “I think we are well-placed in Mizoram. Chief minister Lal Thanhawla is a very strong man. He is a great leader with immense credibility,” said Gogoi.