A war of words

The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have sounded the bugle for the Assembly elections in Assam later this year. State Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi reiterated that his fight was against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, not the BJP's chief ministerial candidate Sarbananda Sonowal, also a Union minister of state. "The BJP does not have any of their original people in the state. I would call it the most adulterated party," Gogoi said, alluding to the defection of his party colleague and former health and education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and some other Congressmen to the BJP. Modi, during his visit to Assam last month, had slammed the 15-year Congress rule in the state and former prime minister Manmohan Singh, who represents the state in the Rajya Sabha, over "lack of development".