Earlier in the day, state Congress chief Bhupen Bora had claimed that Mr Sarma was afraid of him.
Guwahati:
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday commented that only a few Muslim MLAs will be left in the Congress by the time the 2026 assembly elections come.
Mr Sarma told reporters on the sidelines of an event at Gohpur in Biswanath district that Raqibul Hussain, Reqibuddin Ahmed, Zakir Hussain Sikdar, Nurul Hooda and some other Congress MLAs would remain in the party.
Asked whether Congress leader Rana Goswami, who recently resigned as working president, was joining the BJP, the Chief Minister said he had no information about it. “He is a powerful leader of the Congress and if he joins the BJP, I will welcome it,” he said.
However, a politician has to consider many aspects before taking a decision, Mr Sarma said.
Echoing the Chief Minister, state Water Resources Minister Piyush Hazarika said, “Except the names I have mentioned, all other Congress leaders and MLAs are in touch with us.”
Earlier in the day, Assam Pradesh Congress (PCC) chief Bhupen Bora had claimed that Mr Sarma was afraid of him as was evident from his “bitter behavior towards me and family”.
Mr Bora alleged that his brother and sister-in-law, both government employees, have been transferred to two opposite corners of the state.
The PCC chief further said that after he was attacked during the Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra in January, he had demanded increased security, but it has not been given yet.
The Congress state president also alleged that those who “physically attacked me during the #BharatJodonYayatra are being allowed to roam free.”
He posted on
”Bitterness is a symbol of fear! I’m sure if there’s one person in Assam that @HimantaBiswa is truly afraid of, it’s me. Why? Because their harsh behavior towards me and my family exposes the fear within them,” he said.
The Congress leader asserted that the Chief Minister “can buy a few MLAs here and there, but he cannot buy me.”
“Look at his harsh behavior towards me and my family: He transferred my brother and sister-in-law, both government employees, to two opposite corners of Assam. So, it is safe to say: Daro, your name is Himanta!”, he said.
Reacting to Mr Bora’s allegation, Water Resources Minister Piyush Hazarika said government employees should serve in any corner of the state and he could not worry about the Congress leader’s sense of entitlement.
“Just because he is a relative of a big Congress leader, it does not mean he will get special treatment,” he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
