Assam LoP dismisses allegations of acting as 'BJP agent'; issues strong rebuttal

Guwahati, Jan 15 (IANS): Assam Leader of Opposition (LoP) Debabrata Saikia on Thursday issued a strong rebuttal to allegations levelled against him by former All Assam Minorities Students’ Union (AAMSU) president Rejaul Karim Sarkar, firmly rejecting claims that he was acting as a "BJP agent, an emissary of the Chief Minister, or was anti-minority". 

Saikia said he had openly disagreed with Sarkar’s controversial remarks on the very day the latter joined the Indian National Congress, stressing that Assam’s social harmony rests on respecting the distinct cultural identities of regions such as Dhubri and Sivasagar.

“Each area has its own historical and cultural fabric. Any attempt to disturb this balance is unacceptable,” Saikia asserted.

Reacting to Sarkar’s charge that he was functioning on behalf of the BJP or the state government, Saikia said the allegation was so absurd that he did not know “whether to laugh or cry”.

He pointed out that if such claims held any truth, the Congress leadership would have taken disciplinary action against him at some stage during his decade-long tenure in the party.

Saikia’s response followed Sarkar’s resignation from the Congress on January 14 citing “deep ideological and moral differences” with the party’s senior leadership in Assam.

In his resignation letter addressed to Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Gaurav Gogoi, Sarkar said he had joined the party inspired by its secular ethos and constitutional values but felt disillusioned by recent public statements of senior leaders, including Saikia and Nagaon MP Pradyut Bordoloi.

Sarkar alleged that their conduct mirrored that of “BJP agents”, claiming it had caused him moral anguish and damaged his public standing.

The controversy also has roots in Sarkar’s earlier remarks advocating a “Greater Assam”, which had drawn sharp criticism from Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who accused him of making divisive statements threatening Assam’s unity.

The episode has exposed widening internal rifts within the Assam Congress, posing fresh challenges for the party as it prepares for the next electoral cycle.

--IANS

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