GUWAHATI | The Assam Pradesh BJP on Sunday hit back at Congress leader and former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel over his criticism of the state government’s handling of floods and rising prices, describing his remarks as “laughable” and questioning his record in office.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters in Guwahati, party spokesperson Brojen Mahanta said Baghel was not in a position to advise Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on governance, citing the Congress’ defeat in the 2023 Chhattisgarh Assembly elections and allegations of irregularities during the previous Congress government.

Mahanta pointed out that the Congress had won 68 of Chhattisgarh’s 90 Assembly seats in 2018 and formed the government, but was voted out five years later as the BJP returned to power.

The BJP spokesperson referred to several allegations against the former Chhattisgarh government, including an alleged liquor scam estimated at around Rs 3,000 crore, an alleged excise syndicate, the Mahadev betting app case, alleged protection-money collections, a coal levy case involving around Rs 500 crore and alleged irregularities in the 2021 Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission recruitment process and custom billing.

Mahanta also responded to Baghel’s criticism of what the Congress leader described as the BJP’s “anti-democratic” activities, invoking the Emergency imposed by the Indira Gandhi government in 1975.

He said several Assam political leaders, including former Chief Minister Golap Borbora and Dulal Baruah, were arrested during the Emergency and argued that Congress leaders should consider that history before making allegations concerning democracy.

The BJP spokesperson further attacked the Congress over the issue of defining Assam’s indigenous population, alleging that the party had provided political patronage and preferential treatment to people who had illegally entered the state from Bangladesh for electoral gains.

“The conscious people of Assam have not forgotten how the Congress, for the sake of its vote-bank politics, sought to provide political protection and privileges to those who had illegally entered Assam from Bangladesh,” Mahanta said.

The BJP’s response came a day after Baghel, who is the Congress’ Assam in-charge, addressed a press conference in Guwahati and raised issues including the state’s flood situation and rising prices. BJP spokesperson Pranjal Kalita and media panellist Amal Narayan Patowary were also present at Sunday’s press conference.