Guwahati, Nov 8 (IANS): Without focusing on the problems and distress of the people, BJP leaders in Assam are trying to break the Congress and inducing the opposition MLAs to join the ruling party, state Congress President Bhupen Kumar Borah said here on Sunday.

The Assam Congress chief said that the people of Assam are suffering a lot due to the rising prices of essential items, unemployment, economic slowdown, Covid-19 pandemic and lack of development.

"Without solving people's urgent problems, BJP leaders are saying that more Congress MLAs will join the party (BJP), more by-elections would be held and other such unnecessary matters," the Congress leader said.

Borah was reacting to Assam BJP President Bhabesh Kalita's recent claim that more opposition legislators are eager to join the ruling party.

He said the BJP government headed by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma should pay more attention to the burning issues distressing the people instead of meddling in the Congress' organisational affairs.

The October 30 by-elections were necessitated in three of the five Assembly seats as Rupjyoti Kurmi and Sushanta Borgohain after being elected on Congress ticket quit the party and joined the BJP. Similarly, All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) nominee Phanidhar Talukdar also joined the BJP.

All three turncoats were re-elected on BJP tickets in the bypolls.

The Congress and the AIUDF had won 29 and 16 seats in the Assembly polls held in March-April, respectively, but their number of legislators reduced to 27 and 15, respectively, while the BJP's number of MLAs increased to 62 from 60.

Of the five seats where the by-elections were held last month, two – Gossaigaon and Tamulpur – were won by BJP's junior partner United People's Party Liberal.