Guwahati (Assam) [India], July 17 (ANI): Launching a scathing attack on Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and MP Rahul Gandhi's visit to Assam, BJP leader and Union Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita said that they expected nothing from a party like Congress.

Margherita said that if Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge have come to visit Maa Kamakhya, Maa Bagala, or the Satras and Namghars, or to enjoy the scenic Kaziranga or Manas National Park, they are welcomed warmly, but if they have come to preach peace, development, or progress in Assam, they would not be listened.

He further recalled how Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had insulted smaller states after the party's humiliating defeat in Tripura and Nagaland elections.

He also accused Kharge of mocking the pride of Assam, Bharat Ratna Dr Bhupen Hazarika, calling him just an 'ordinary singer.'

'How can we expect respect for Assam and the Northeast from such individuals?' the Minister asked.

He invited Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge to visit the site near Nellie, where the BJP is setting up a semiconductor project, a region historically stained by Congress-era massacres.

'Congress must apologise for the brutal killing of 855 young Assamese during the Assam Agitation,' Margherita said.

'If Rahul Gandhi and Kharge have come to see how under BJP rule: Railway connectivity and road infrastructure have doubled, number of bridges over Brahmaputra has tripled, Every district has a medical college,1.5 lakh government jobs were created, 'Orunodoi' has empowered women, No innocent person has died due to insurgency, Rhino poaching has been controlled,- then we will welcome them with all sincerity. But we expect nothing from a party like the Congress,' the Union MoS said.

Kishore Kumar Upadhyay, Chief Spokesperson of Assam Pradesh BJP, while addressing the media at the state BJP headquarters in Bhashishta Chariali, stated that leaders like Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi lack genuine respect and sincerity for Assam or the Northeast.

'They visit only as political tourists every few years. Shockingly, the Assam Congress President referred to them as 'great leaders'. We ask: What makes them great? Their speeches, writings, and political priorities have nothing to do with Assam or the Northeast,' he said.

He pointed out how Bhupen Hazarika, a cultural icon of Assam, was mocked by Congress during his Bharat Ratna honour.

'How can a party that insulted Bhupen Hazarika be considered a friend of Assamese people?'

Upadhyay further added, 'The Congress, instead of fighting for the Assamese people, has fought against them for 70-75 years. In the name of appeasing religious minorities, Congress has always worked against the indigenous people. Despite ruling for over 70 years, Congress couldn't even provide land rights (pattas) to the indigenous Assamese. Today, they talk about giving pattas--it's a mockery. Under Congress leadership, over 15,000 bighas of land belonging to Satras (monastic institutions) were encroached upon by illegal Bangladeshi Muslims.' (ANI)