Guwahati, September 22 (Daily Kiran) : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed on Tuesday that the violence that erupted during the campaigning for the upcoming Nagaon by-election was a result of clashes between rival factions within the Congress party. He urged the state leadership of the opposition party to resolve their internal disputes.
Sarma’s remarks came a day after an incident in the Barma area of Samaguri, where a Congress campaign convoy, including senior leaders like Assam Pradesh Congress Committee President Gaurav Gogoi and former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, was reportedly attacked with stones while heading to an election meeting.
The Congress party alleged that BJP supporters were behind the attack, while police and other reports indicated that there had been confrontations between both groups.
Referencing the political history of the Samaguri assembly constituency, Sarma suggested that the incident should be viewed in light of the factionalism present within Congress. “In reality, this was a clash between Congress’s own rival factions,” he stated.
He noted that Samaguri is represented by Tanjil Hussain, the son of senior Congress leader and Dhubri Lok Sabha MP Rakibul Hussain.
Citing the results from the last assembly elections, Sarma pointed out that Congress received 145,212 votes while the BJP garnered only 36,902 votes in the area.
The Chief Minister urged Congress’s state leadership to take responsibility for their internal conflicts instead of blaming opposing political parties for the incident. He remarked, “The Congress state leadership should take charge of their internal disagreements instead of easily shifting blame onto others.”
However, Congress leaders maintain that their convoy was targeted by BJP supporters. They allege that black flags were waved and slogans of “Go back” were shouted before stones were thrown at their vehicles, leading to a complaint being filed with the police.
This incident occurred during the campaign for the Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election scheduled for October 6, where Congress has nominated Sibamani Bora as their candidate, with senior leaders actively campaigning in her support.
Sarma emphasized that political differences should not spill into the streets and should not disrupt law and order. He stated, “Political rivalry within any party should never be allowed to manifest on the streets, nor should it disturb societal peace and harmony.”
The responsibility for the clashes and the alleged stone-pelting is currently under investigation.
Leave a Comment