1. Aminul Haque Laskar, a prominent minority leader of the BJP in Assam, joins Congress.
2. His switch, occurring a month before the Lok Sabha elections, attracts attention.
3. Laskar cites the erosion of BJP’s ideology in the state as a reason for departure.
Guwahati, March 21: A prominent minority leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Assam, Aminul Haque Laskar, made headlines as he switched his political allegiance to the Congress just a month before the Lok Sabha elections.
Laskar, who made history as the first minority MLA for the Assam BJP in 2016, tendered his resignation on Wednesday. He had previously served as the Deputy Speaker of the Assam Assembly and chaired the Assam State Commission for Minorities.
However, his defeat by Karim Uddin Barbhuiya of the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) in 2021 marked a turning point.
In his resignation statement, Laskar cited the erosion of the BJP’s political ideology in the state as the primary reason for his departure. He lamented that the party’s current stance differed significantly from what it was during his 13-year tenure with them.
The Congress party in Assam warmly welcomed Laskar into its fold on Wednesday, with party in-charge Jitendra Singh Alwar personally overseeing the induction.
As a former BJP member, Laskar cautioned that his exit could adversely affect the ruling party’s standing within the minority community.
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Drawing parallels between the ideologies of the BJP and Badruddin Ajmal’s All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), Laskar raised concerns about their growing similarity.
He emphasized that his departure as the sole Muslim MLA from the BJP in the region since 2016 might undermine the party’s credibility among the Muslim community in Assam.
Moreover, he hinted at a covert alliance between the BJP and AIUDF in the state, further complicating the political landscape.
