Guwahati, January: 30: As Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in Assam for his second visit in a month, the Congress on Friday launched a sharp attack on the BJP, accusing the ruling party of neglecting the Northeast and leaving its people “politically orphaned.”

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said Shah’s presence in the state was a welcome step but insisted that the BJP must answer for its decade-long rule in Assam. He posed ten questions, ranging from the delay in granting Scheduled Tribe status to several communities, including Koch-Rajbongshi, Tai Ahom, Moran, Matak, Chutia and Tea Tribes/Adivasi, to the alleged sale of indigenous land and the erosion of Assamese identity.

Khera alleged that 1.5 lakh bighas of land belonging to indigenous people had been sold to cronies and questioned why Assamese youth were forced to migrate in search of jobs. He also raised concerns about the disappearance of indigenous voters from electoral rolls, the absence of minimum support price for tea cultivators, and the state’s lag in healthcare and water quality.

Taking aim at the BJP’s slogan of Jati, Mati, Bheti, Khera said the party had weakened the Jati, sold the Mati, and betrayed the Bheti. He further accused the government of foreign policy failures, claiming that Bangladesh had moved closer to China, creating new challenges for Assam.

Shah reached Dibrugarh late Thursday night and was received by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, and senior state leaders. His visit comes as the BJP prepares to contest the upcoming Assembly elections, seeking a third consecutive term in Assam.