Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal traded allegations on Monday following a violent incident in Nagaon district, where a Congress campaign convoy was allegedly attacked with stones.
The incident took place while Congress leaders were travelling to a public meeting at Barma as part of the party’s campaign for the Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll. Sarma blamed factionalism within the Congress for the incident and accused the party of attempting to shift responsibility. Venugopal, however, hit back at the Assam Chief Minister, alleging that BJP workers were behind the attack and accusing the state government of using political violence against its opponents.
In a post on X, the Assam Chief Minister said the incident took place in the Samaguri Assembly constituency, represented by Congress MLA Tanzil Hussain, son of Congress MP Rakibul Hussain. “At its core, this was a clash between rival factions within the Congress itself,” Sarma said, pointing out that Congress had secured 1,45,212 votes in the constituency in the last Assembly election, compared with 36,902 votes for the BJP. “Political rivalries within a party should never be allowed to spill onto the streets and disturb the peace and harmony of society at large,” he added.
