Guwahati (Assam) [India], October 27 (ANI): Assam State BJP on Monday said that Karnataka minister and Congress leader Priyank Kharge's remark that 'Assam lacks talented and capable people to establish industries' has deeply hurt the sentiments of the Assamese people and struck a blow to the state's pride.

Assam State BJP spokesperson Jayanta Kumar Goswami threw an open challenge to Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Gaurav Gogoi, saying that if he has the courage, he should pass a resolution condemning Priyank Kharge's anti-Assam statement.

He further stated that historically, the Congress Party has continuously humiliated and discriminated against Assam and the entire Northeast.

'In 1962, Jawaharlal Nehru surrendered to Chinese forces, virtually abandoning Assam and the Northeast to China. In 1971, Indira Gandhi's decision to create Bangladesh by breaking Pakistan led to the influx of 40 lakh (4 million) illegal Bangladeshi immigrants into Assam. Later, Rajiv Gandhi, by signing the Assam Accord, fixed 1971 as the cut-off year for citizenship in Assam instead of 1951, thereby granting citizenship to illegal Bangladeshi migrants living in the state. Recently, during his 'Bharat Jodo Yatra,' Congress leader Rahul Gandhi presented a map of India that excluded Assam and the Northeast region. Because of these repeated blunders by the Congress Party, Assam today faces serious economic backwardness and social imbalance caused by the unchecked influx of illegal migrants,' Assam State BJP said in a press release.

Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday called Priyank Kharge a 'first-class idiot' and said, 'Priyank Kharge is a first-class idiot. He has insulted Assamese youth, and Congress has not yet condemned this. Perhaps, we might file a case against him because he has said that Assam does not have educated youth. It is an insult to the entire Assamese youth.'

Earlier, Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge sparked controversy with remarks questioning the decision to set up semiconductor industries in Assam and Gujarat instead of Bengaluru, asking, 'What is there in Gujarat and Assam? Is there talent there?' His comments, made on Sunday, have drawn sharp backlash from political opponents, who accused him of insulting other states.

Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge said, '... RSS is not above the law and consitution. How long will this go on? Every citizen and organisation in the country must be accountable...' On BJP MP Tejasvi Surya's statement, he says, 'Tejasvi Surya has contributed zero to the development of Bengaluru in the field of IT. Can he name one project that he or BJP MPs from Bengaluru have brought in?... Why are semiconductor industries going to Assam and Gujarat when they want to come to Bengaluru?... What is there in Gujarat and Assam? Is there talent there?...' (ANI)