Assam CM's '40 Bangladeshi MLAs' remark sparks a fresh political row

Guwahati: Senior Congress leader in Assam and MLA from the Samaguri Assembly seat, Rakibul Hussain has sent senior BJP leader and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma into a fresh tailspin over his controversial remark about "40 Bangladeshi MLAs in Assam."

Hussain told reporters here on Monday, "It is very unfortunate that despite holding an important constitutional post like Chief Minister of a state, Himanta Biswa Sarma has been saying unconstitutional things at election rallies just to get some votes." He criticised Himanta Biswa Sarma and demanded action against him by the Election Commission of India (ECI).

The Congress leader said, "ECI must take suo moto action against Himanta Biswa Sarma for his unacceptable comments against the people of Assam." Earlier, the Assam CM during an interaction with the media at Ranchi said that Bangladeshi infiltrators made up a population of 1.25 crore in Assam and that resulted in 40 MLAs in the 126-member legislative Assembly in the state. This sparked a huge controversy in Assam and many Opposition leaders were seen criticising the BJP leader.

Meanwhile, Hussain also alleged that soon after the polls were over in Assam, the prices of necessary commodities skyrocketed. "The prices of vegetables and others have seen a surge in the last few days and the state government is not taking any step to control the price rise. Instead the ruling party has been trying to encourage the people to consume more liquor for generating revenue. This is not acceptable," the Congress leader said.

Notably, Hussain was a minister in the Tarun Gogoi-led Cabinet in Assam. He contested the recently-concluded Lok Sabha polls against Badruddin Ajmal from the Dhubri seat.

Source: IANS