New Delhi: Congress has joined hands with All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) in Assam to support the candidature of senior journalist and activist Ajit Bhuyan for one of the three Rajya Sabha seats for the upcoming polls from the state.Bhuyan has been opposing the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and criticised the Centre at various anti-CAA demonstrations.Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Ripun Bora said the alliance will extend support to Bhuyan in “national interest”. Bora said “Congress and AIUDF have sacrificed their seat for the interest of the state”. Bhuyan is an independent candidate. “Bora informed us regarding his participation in the upcoming elections and sought support. So we decided to support the neutral candidate,” he said.Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, leader of opposition in the Assam assembly Debabrata Saiki and AIUDF MLA Hafiz Bashir Ahmed Qasimi were present at the media briefing.Reacting to the Congress-AIUDF support to Bhuyan, Assam finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said: “I am sure that Ajit Bhuyan will not accept the support of AIUDF. And if he accepts the support of AIUDF, it will be clear that the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act were backed by Ajmal-led AIUDF.”Senior advocate and convenor of Prabajan Virodhi Manch Upamanyu Hazarika said if Bhuyan accepts the support of Congress-AIUDF while claiming to represent indigenous interests, it would be “hypocritical and self-serving”. “He has cleverly sought to dress up his candidature in the garb of representing anti-CAA forces... Both these parties (Congress and AUDF) have sought the grant of citizenship to all infiltrators from Bangladesh.”