'Voters shouldn't get swayed by national parties'

Guwahati: The All Assam Students' Union (Aasu) has appealed to the state's indigenous communities and tribes to vote in the interest of the state, rather than getting swayed by the wave of two leading national political parties - BJP and Congress - in the ensuing assembly polls.
Though Aasu had insisted for a change at the Centre in the 2014 Lok Sabha election, describing the 10-year rule of Congress as disappointing for the people of Assam, this time it has termed BJP's performance as below par.
"People of the state must ensure that supremacy of the indigenous people of Assam remains intact in the state politics. Illegal Bangladeshi migrants should not become the kingmakers in Assam," said Aasu general secretary Lurinjyoti Gogoi, reiterating that the student body's stand against illegal influx is the prime issue in the election.
Aasu and BJP have been at loggerheads after the Centre brought a notification few months ago granting citizenship to Hindu refugees from Bangladesh. The students body has been demanding detection and deportation of all Bangladeshi migrants who have entered the state after 1971, irrespective of their religious identity.
While lashing out at Congress for safeguarding the interests of illegal Bangladeshis in Assam, the student body expressed anguish over BJP's role in deporting illegal immigrants during its 22-month rule at the Centre.