GUWAHATI: Reaffirming the long-term relationship between Congress and All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi said that AIUDF chief Maulana Badruddin Ajmal had been helping Congress since 2001.
“We have been maintaining relationship since 2001. Ajmal helped us in 2001 elections. The relationship was there before 2001 also,” Gogoi said.
Former CM Tarun Gogoi also stated that the performance of Congress in 2006 assembly elections was affected by his famous remarks “Who is Badruddin?”
“We were almost defeated in Upper Assam because of my ‘Who is Badruddin?’ remarks. We won in huge margins when I stopped saying this,” Gogoi said.
On the other hand, on 25 March, 2017, expressing his fierce opposition to AIUDF, former CM Gogoi remarked, “I will keep opposing an alliance with AIUDF. I am not in favour of a tie-up with AIUDF till I am alive for the interests of the Assamese people.”
However replying to a question in reference to his earlier comments, Gogoi denied, “I have never said like that.”
He also claimed that AIUDF couldn’t be termed as communal for seeking justice for the Muslims in Assam.
