Assam | Congress slams BJP, says Himanta Biswa Sarma is ‘Jinnah’

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GUWAHATI | January 19, 2019:

The opposition Congress on Friday slammed Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma claiming that he was indulging in communal politics by dividing Hindus and Muslims in the state.

The Barpeta District Youth Congress also lodged an FIR against the minister for his alleged "communal statements".

"Sarma is Assam's Jinnah. Himanta Biswa Sarma is following Pakistan's founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah partitioning India on the basis of Muslims and Hindus," Congress leader and former Assam minister Pradyut Bordoloi said at a press conference.

Once cabinet colleagues before the finance minister moved to the BJP from Congress, Mr Bordoloi accused Mr Sarma of playing communal politics and creating a division between Hindus and Muslims in Assam.

"BJP wants to implement the Citizenship Amendment Bill only to create a permanent vote bank," he alleged.

The Congress leader also charged BJP of trying to divide the Assamese society and both Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Himanta Sarma are posing a "threat" to the Assamese people "who will soon be minorities in their own land".

The former power minister claimed that there was an "undeclared war" between Himanta Sarma and Sarbanand Sonowal as "Himanta is planning to be the chief minister of Assam associating himself more with BJP chief Amit Shah and PM Narendra Modi".

Meanwhile, a complaint has been filed against Himanta Biswa Sarma by the Barpeta District Youth Congress (BDYC) accusing him of making unconstitutional, communal, false and illegal statements during a talk show in a local news TV channel on Wednesday.

The complaint has been lodged by BDYC president Anuwarul Islam Khan and 21 others of Youth Congress at Mandia police outpost in Barpeta district of lower Assam on Friday.

(PTI)