Dholai by-poll: Assam CM uses Sonia Gandhi reference to refute allegations against BJP candidate
The controversy started when dissident BJP leader Amiya Kanti Das accused Nihar Ranjan Das of being 'Bangladeshi'
Silchar, Nov. 6: With the by-poll for the Dholai Legislative Assembly Constituency (LAC) just around the corner on November 13, the political battleground has become a stage for fierce exchanges between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress. Amidst this, allegations concerning the BJP candidate Nihar Ranjan Das' "nationality" have only added fuel to the already charged campaign.
The controversy began when dissident BJP leader Amiya Kanti Das accused Nihar Ranjan Das of being a Bangladesh national, a claim that was later amplified by the Congress. In response, Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, during a day-long visit to Dholai on Tuesday, dismissed these allegations as baseless.
“If senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, who is of Italian origin, can become a leader in India, what stops Nihar Ranjan Das who is an Indian national?” the Chief Minister said, speaking to the press on the sidelines of a public meeting in Palonghat.
Chief Minster Sarma pointed out that these claims were part of a strategy by the Congress to create “unrest among the Hindu Bengali population in Barak Valley”. He highlighted that Das is listed in the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and possesses all the documents certifying him as an Indian citizen.
Adding to his rebuttal, Dr. Sarma cited a recent ruling by the Supreme Court recognising individuals who migrated to India before 1971 as Indian nationals. “Why the Hindus have come over to India from Bangladesh must be studied as to what led to the influx during 1971. Now, when the honourable Supreme Court has made it clear that anyone who came to India prior to 1971 should be treated as an Indian national, why is the Congress making all the hullabaloo?” he questioned.
Expressing confidence in the BJP's prospects in the Dholai seat, Dr. Sarma predicted a significant victory margin for Nihar Ranjan Das, claiming it would surpass 30,000 votes. Silchar MP Parimal Suklabaidya also weighed in, accusing the Congress of hypocrisy, “A party which is responsible for the division of the country has no right to speak about the issue at all.”
Meanwhile, the Congress has refuted allegations that they initiated the controversy. Congress secretary Prithviraj Sathe on Wednesday clarified, “The controversy is created by a BJP office bearer and not by the Congress, as blamed by the Chief Minister. So, it is the BJP which has to respond to the question. We are concerned with the lack of development in Dholai for which the BJP has to answer to the people of the constituency.”
Sathe also criticised the Assam Chief Minister’s governance, remarking, “The Assam Chief Minister is laapata (missing) while the state government is bekhabar (oblivious). The present government has utterly failed to meet the expectations of the people while the Chief Minister is busy reaching out to other poll-bound states making tall promises, many of which he could not fulfil in his own state.”
Despite Chief Minister Sarma’s pointed reference to Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origin, Congress leaders including Sathe and Silchar district Congress president Abhijit Paul chose not to respond directly to this remark.
