‘No Hindu-Muslim Issue’: Cong Imraan Masood Hits Back At Pradyut’s Allegations
Congress MP Imran Massod on Wednesday hit back at sitting Nagaon MP Pradyut Bardoloi’s allegations, asserting that there is no Hindu-Muslim issue. He said Bardoloi’s personal agenda had failed, adding that Congress in Assam focuses on party work, not religion, and questioned whether Bardoloi’s departure would make any difference to the party.
Masood, who represents Saharanpur in the Lok Sabha, is a part of Congress’s screening committee for the upcoming Assam elections.
Speaking to ANI, Masood responded to the allegation said that there was no personal resentment against him.
“There is no personal resentment against me, but it is their personal agenda. In Assam, we are working for Congress. I submitted the correct report to the party. They are not upset with me. It is just that their personal agenda has failed. In Assam, the entire play is about money.
He added, “Priyanka had met everyone, including Pradyut bhai, but it was he who decided to leave. Most leaders in Congress are Hindu. Is Pradyut’s leaving making any difference? Isn’t Gaurav not there? This is not about Hindu-Muslim. It was only his agenda.”
“These kinds of things during the elections are not good. There is some resentment during elections, but we will ensure that everything goes well.”
Massod’s remarks came after Pradyut Bordoloi, who officially joined the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) said his decision was driven by persistent internal humiliation and a lack of support from the party leadership.
Referring to a specific Assam Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting, Pradyut Bordoloi said he felt hurt after Imran Masood dismissed his allegations against a candidate whom he accused of running a criminal nexus, as “fabricated”.
Speaking to ANI, Bordoloi explained his departure, “There is no one reason. I was feeling suffocated, and I was being humiliated”.
“I came to know that a communal leader like Imraan Masood said that everything I was talking about and saying about a candidate against whom I had given evidence of a criminal nexus was false and fabricated. Imran Masood, in the presence of the party’s top leadership, had the audacity to say that all that Pradyut Bordoloi said was fabricated. The APCC president present there remained silent. This hurt me a lot,” said Bordoloi.
Earlier, Bordoloi had accused the Congress leadership of sidelining him, which led to the end of his lifelong association with the Congress party amid allegations of internal mistreatment.
He clarified that the resignation stemmed from “multiple issues” as opposed to a singular ticket allocation for the Assam Assembly elections.
“For me, getting a ticket was not a question of life and death. There were multiple issues. What was important for me was to hold my head high. The Congress party has given me a lot,” he told the media.”
I want to make it very clear that I am in my second term in Lok Sabha, and there are another three years to go. I could have accepted the humiliation if I wanted to remain as an MP. But I decided to leave and work,” he added.
Following Bordoloi’s resignation, Congress has fielded his son from the Margherita Assembly constituency for the upcoming Assembly polls.
Elections in Assam for all 126 Assembly constituencies will be held in a single phase on April 9, while the counting of votes is scheduled for May 4, the Election Commission of India announced on Sunday.
Assam will witness a fight between the incumbent BJP-led NDA government and Congress for the 126-seat assembly. The BJP government, led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, will look to secure a third consecutive term, while the Congress aims to defeat the ruling party to return to power. (ANI)
