Talking to ET, Panda, who is spearheading his second stint as in-charge after the 2021 assembly elections, said Congress is in disarray with its top leaders leaving the party. The All-India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) is a major challenge to Assam’s demographics and culture, he said.
“Last time, the AIUDF leader disrespected the gamusa (scarf). This party represents a demography which has grown in Assam through invasion. They are not indigenous to Assam, they don’t speak Assamese, they don’t dress like Assamese. Their fathers and grandfathers were the ones who decided to break away from India. I will never take such groups lightly as they challenge the very notion of Indianness. They represent vote bank politics and pandered to the Congress in the past. They continue to be present in Assam and one should not take them lightly as they represent a threat.”
“What I am sensing as I travel around the state is an overwhelming pro-incumbency. I noticed a few things. First, the huge respect and love for Prime Minister Modi, and that is understandable because of his focus on Assam and the Northeast. Modi has visited the Northeast 77 times since he became PM. Compare this to his predecessor, who represented Assam, but only came 10 times. This, along with the dynamism of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, has led to dramatic results in Assam. So, the theme on which we are campaigning — ‘Safe Assam and developed Assam’ — is a sentiment which is being experienced by everyone in the state.”
