Congress takes cudgels with Assam CM Himanta Biswas

By Syed Ali Mujtaba, New Age Islam 26 February 2025 New Delhi: The allegations against Assam Chief Minister and BJP show-boy in the east, Himanta Biswas Sarma are flying thick and fast in the northeast state, while the BJP is backing him for his anti-Muslim slurs and anti-Congress rants. The Assam Congress has mounted a scathing attack on the Chief Minister of Assam for his large-scale corruption, calling it a ‘Double dhokha government.’ In a press conference in New Delhi on February 23, some prominent Congress leaders levelled allegations against the Assam CM. This was ahead of the ‘Advantage Assam 2.0 business summit’ inaugurated by PM Modi on February 24 in Guwahati. The first allegation of the Congress was the Assam Chief Minister and his family members and associates had become business tycoons under the watchful eyes of the Bhartiya Janata Party. “Himanta Biswas Sarma has built an entire empire in Assam. The Chief Minister, his family members, and associates own many tea gardens, including Kanchanjuri and Radha Krishna tea estates, news portals, a big outlet of McDonald’s, international schools, and lots of land. These lands are purchased in tribal areas, including Majuli, Kamrup, Guwahati, Nagaon, Golaghat, where land cannot be bought,” Congress general secretary in-charge of the State Jitendra Singh said in the press meet. Mr. Singh also alleged that rat-hole mining was happening under the nose of the Assam Chief Minister and wondered why no action was being taken against the illegal mining. Rakibul Hussain, the Lok Sabha MP from Dhubri, who was present at the press conference, alleged that "the Assam Chief Minister had links with the underground militant outfit, the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA). This was “recorded in a government affidavit in 1999", he claimed. Media has reported that Mr. Hussain was allegedly attacked by BJP supporters a few days ago in Assam for his allegation against Mr. Biswas. Among these accusations, it would be apt to quote Purnia MP and Congress leader Rajesh Ranjan, a.k.a Pappu Yadav. During, last year's election in Jharkhand, where the Assam Chief Minister was made the party's in charge, Yaadav levelled a barrage of charges which has never been answered by Mr Biswas or his ‘protectors’. Pappu Yadav has termed Assam CM the ‘biggest goonda' and ‘scam master' holding the BJP umbrella. "I have a few documents which prove that he (Sarma) is the biggest (goonda) criminal, a thug, and a man full of nepotism," Yadav said. He added, "Records suggest that in 1991, two cases were registered against him on charges of extorting Rs 10 lakh on behalf of ULFA. An Arms Act case was also registered against Sarma at Panbazar police station in Assam, where illegal weapons were found in his possession. He was charged in a TADA case at Chandmari and Panbazar police stations. In 2009, the Guwahati HC ordered the Assam government to present records related to the TADA cases. His name was linked to the murder of Congress leader Manavendra Sarma in 1991, but the court acquitted him of murder charges as the files mysteriously went missing." Pappu Yadav accused the Assam CM of extending illegal gratification to his family members and cited the PPE kit scam in Assam during COVID-19. "In 2020, Sarma's wife's company was accused of alleged irregularities in the order of PPE kits. Before 2015, Sarma was accused of taking bribes from New Jersey-based Company Louis Berger International in the Guwahati water supply project. He was involved in the Sarada Ponzi scam, with allegations that he demanded money from Saradha Group owner Sudipta Sen, the CBI interrogated him for four hours in 2014," Yadav said. Recently, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in a post on his ‘X’ said, “If Narendra Modi is the head of the slogan factory, then Himanta Biswa Sarma is his regional manager in Assam. PM Modi had said - ‘Neither will I eat nor will I let others eat’, but his Chief Minister in Assam has built a business empire, bought lands in tribal areas, his family has eaten up lands in every district,” he said. Among all these allegations, the Chief Minister of Assam is washing his sins in the BJP’s holy pond. The BJP is happy with him for his anti-Muslim hate speeches as they massage the egos of the Hindutva forces who want to marginalize the Muslims in a state dominated by their electoral strength. ----- Syed Ali Mujtaba is a journalist. He can be contacted at syedalimujtaba2007@gmail.com URL: https://www.newageislam.com/current-affairs/congress-assam-cm-himanta-biswas/d/134726 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism