Guwahati, April 28 (IANS): The Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders during a function, where several Congress leaders and workers quit the party and joined the TMC, on Wednesday announced that they launched an expansion drive of the party to fill the vacuum created by the opposition parties in Assam.
Wednesday's joining programme in Guwahati was held five days after veteran leader and former Assam Congress Chief Ripun Bora was appointed as the TMC's Assam unit President by party supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
TMC Lok Sabha MP, Mahua Moitra while speaking at the function said the party headed by Banerjee would be the voice of the common people of Assam as all opposition parties have "become puppets" in hands of the BJP.
"There is no party to raise the voice of the common people. We would fill the opposition vacuum," she said, claiming that after Bengal, Assam is her second native state as she was born in the north-eastern state.
Moitra without naming Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, a Congress-turned-BJP leader, said the BJP-ruled Assam government is in reality run by former Congress leaders.
"They (BJP) bought them all and are still trying to buy the opposition leaders," the TMC leader claimed and said the saffron party was trying to divert the attention of the people from inflation and unemployment by focusing on religion, loudspeakers, food and other insignificant matters.
"The TMC will fight the anarchy and not allow them to divide and rule," she added.
Bora, former Assam Education Minister, said soon a large number of workers and leaders of Assam would join the TMC, which he added would not enter into any alliance with either Congress or the Muslim-based and perfume baron Badruddin Ajmal-led All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF).
Former Assam Minister Rajendra Mushahary, Assam Congress Secretaries Gajendra Prasad Upamanyu, Diganta Bhusan Barman, Babul Sonowal, Congress Spokesman Anup Jyoti Bhuyan, among others joined the TMC on Wednesday.
The function was also attended by former Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul M. Sangma and TMC Rajya Sabha member Sushmita Dev, who hails from southern Assam's Silchar.
Dev, a former Congress Lok Sabha member, while Sangma and 11 other MLAs of Meghalaya had quit the Congress and joined the TMC in 2021.
Sangma in his address slammed the Congress and said no party in the north-eastern region was highlighting the cause and concern of the people.