Assam Congress President Bhupen Kumar Borah has reacted to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma earlier calling Rahul Gandhi “Ravan”. Borah has called CM Sarma ‘Ravan’ in return.
“Rahul Gandhi’s name has not been involved in any corruption case till now. It was BJP who accused Sarma of being involved in Louis Berger scam and Saradha scam,” Borah said while referring to the corruption cases Sarma was allegedly involved in before joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2015.
“Rahul-ji’s name has not been involved in any murder case. He was never a member of a terrorist organisation,” Borah told ANI while apparently referring to the extortion case in 1991 that allegedly involved Sarma on behalf of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA).
“Rahul-ji’s name is not there in any corruption charges. So, who is Ravana here?” Borah added while seemingly hinting at the PPE kits scam during the coronavirus pandemic.
In 2020, JCB Industries, owned by Sarma’s wife Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, received an urgent work order. This was for supplying PPE kits. Each kit was priced at ₹990. At that time, Sarma led the Assam health department.
Bhupen Kumar Borah also spoke about an incident in Tinsukia where Damini Praja, a young girl from tea estates, had allegedly been raped by a BJP worker. Borah then alleged that the girl’s mother died by suicide after the saffron party and the police had come together to threaten her.
“Women in Assam, when compared to women in the entire country, are the most unsafe. Women are unsafe when there is Ravan around,” he added while apparently calling the Assam CM “Ravan”.
What Himanta Biswa Sarma said
CM Himanta Biswa Sarma was asked about Rahul Gandhi on January 22 as the Ram Mandir inauguration took place in Ayodhya.
“Why are you talking about Ravan today? At least, talk about Ram today. We have the opportunity to talk about Ram after 500 years. We should only talk about him and not about Ravan,” he said.
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Published: 23 Jan 2024, 12:14 PM IST