Congress MP Pramod Tiwari on Thursday responded to Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma's alleged claim that no "indigenous Indian" would vote for the national party in Assam.
Assam is one of five states/Union Territories set to go to the polls next month. Elections across the state's 126 constituencies will be conducted in a single phase on April 9, with the votes to be counted on May 4.
"In a democracy, the government will obviously be formed within the borders of India. If you insist on Congress forming a government in Pakistan, your government should form in Israel, as it is your fatherland," Tiwari reportedly told ANI.
"Don't forget your fatherland," he added, in what is seen as a sharp response to CM Sarma's alleged remark on Congress needing to contest elections in Pakistan.
Tiwari's remarks come after the Assam CM said on Wednesday that no local "indigenous Indian" people would vote for the national party, suggesting that the Congress could form a government only in Pakistan or Bangladesh, and "never" in India.
"We have completely turned around Assam. Today, people are seeing a new Assam, based on our strong culture and heritage. People, except Bangladeshi infiltrators, are with the BJP," the Assam CM reportedly said on Wednesday.
"Who wants to go to Congress? Congress can't form its government in India; it can form it in Pakistan. Then how can I go to Congress? Congress can never form the government in India. When Congress forms, it will be in either Pakistan or Bangladesh," he added.
Meanwhile, as the April 9 polling date looms, the CM Sarma-led BJP government looks to secure its third consecutive term in office, while the Congress aims to unseat the ruling party after its dismal 2021 performance.
In the 2021 elections, the BJP won 60 of the 75 seats that the NDA had secured, while the Opposition alliance involving Congress, AIUDF, BPF, and the communist parties managed to get only 16.