The Assam Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday, 13 September sharply rebuffed Congress General Secretary In-charge of Assam and former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, dismissing his criticism of the state government's flood management and rising prices as 'laughable' and turning the spotlight on his own tenure in office.

The BJP's Counterattack

Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters in Guwahati, party spokesperson Brojen Mahanta argued that Baghel was in no position to lecture Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on governance. Mahanta pointed squarely to the Congress' drubbing in the 2023 Chhattisgarh Assembly elections — where the party lost power after winning 68 of 90 seats in 2018 — as evidence of Baghel's own governance failures.

The BJP spokesperson also raised a series of allegations against the previous Congress government in Chhattisgarh, including an alleged liquor scam, an alleged excise syndicate, the Mahadev betting app case, a coal levy racket, and alleged irregularities in the state Public Service Commission recruitment process. These remain allegations and have not been conclusively established in court.

What Baghel Had Said

The BJP response came a day after Baghel, during his visit to Assam, urged CM Sarma to prioritise flood relief and the rising costs of petrol, diesel, cooking gas, and sugar, rather than commenting on the 2028 Chhattisgarh Assembly polls. Baghel had claimed that flood-affected residents were not receiving adequate relief despite Assam operating under a 'double-engine government' — a reference to the BJP being in power both at the state and Centre levels.

Older Fault Lines, New Flashpoints

Mahanta also invoked the Emergency of 1975 imposed by the Indira Gandhi government, arguing that Congress leaders should reflect on political arrests of that era before questioning the BJP's democratic credentials. He further accused the Congress of pursuing 'vote-bank politics' on the issue of Assam's indigenous population, alleging the party had historically extended political protection and privileges to illegal migrants from Bangladesh.

This comes amid a broader sharpening of political confrontation in Assam, with the upcoming Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election adding fresh urgency to the exchanges. Baghel has said Congress and its alliance partners are working on a joint strategy for the bypoll, centred on floods and alleged illegal mining.

What Is at Stake

Floods and inflation are emerging as the central political battlegrounds in Assam, with the Congress targeting the state government on relief delivery and the cost of living, while the BJP counters with questions about the opposition's own record. Notably, this is not the first time the two parties have clashed over Assam's flood crisis, which has repeatedly tested successive state administrations. With both sides intensifying their attacks, governance credibility is shaping up as the defining contest ahead of future electoral cycles in the state.