Virtually projecting himself as the chief ministerial candidate for the fourth term, Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi on Friday said the coming Assembly elections would be a direct fight between him a
Virtually projecting himself as the chief ministerial candidate for the fourth term, Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi on Friday said the coming Assembly elections would be a direct fight between him and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and ruled out any alliance.
“Everyone’s face will be there. But I will be the captain. I am the general of the party and Modi is the general of the BJP,” he said at a press conference.
Mr Gogoi was replying to a question on whether or not he would be the CM candidate of Congress in the Assembly polls expected to be held in April-May.
The 79-year-old Congress veteran also ruled out any alliance with any political party, saying the Congress is more interested for an electoral “understanding” with “secular” parties to defeat the BJP.
“I am going alone. There will be no seat-sharing. There will be no mahajoth. Only maha-understanding with some secular parties to ensure the BJP’s defeat. Understanding means vote for the Congress but not the BJP. Vote for the AGP but not for the BJP,” he said while clarifying how Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has left it to him and the party’s state unit to decide on the issue of alliance. Mr Gogoi, however, admitted that the coming polls would be a tough one for the Congress but he likes such challenges.
“The BJP is eyeing Assam. It will be an interesting election. Every election is tough. I welcome tough election. A tough election makes us tougher,” he said. He said there is little anti-incumbency in Assam as such things come if there is a failure in implementing promises. “Whatever little anti-incumbency is there, it will be overcome by our development work,” he said.
Mr Gogoi said Mr Modi is “not a dignified” Prime Minister as no PM in independent India had criticised his or her predecessor the way Mr Modi did recently.
