HT DIGITAL
GUWAHATI, JULY 1: A worker of Congress was allegedly arrested late Monday evening in Assam’s Golaghat district on charges of hurling a bottle at Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s motorcade. The man, Rahul Phukan, a worker from the Sarupathar constituency, was arrested after an incident that took place around 1:30 pm near Rajiv Bhawan. A group of Congress workers, who were dressed in black badges, were holding a protest during this time allegedly in connection with cabinet minister Jayanta Mallabaruah.
Responding to the incident with typical sarcasm, Chief Minister Sarma minimized the bottle-throwing incident. “When else will Congress protest other than in front of a BJP leader? If 12–13 boys don’t protest against me here, how will they respond to their leaders in Guwahati? I thank them. There is nothing to be sad about. Better still if the bottle had struck me,” he joked aside any personal anxiety.
Related Posts:
The Golaghat protests were part of a statewide agitation by Congress workers, who made serious charges against the illegal sale of Gir cows. The row, referred to as the “Goru Sur” (cow theft) scam, has been brewing in Assam and is said to have top politicians and ministers involved. The situation flared up when the Chief Minister came to Golaghat to commission a new indoor stadium at the GDSA Complex near the district Congress office.
Before the CM’s arrival, a huge contingent of Congress supporters came with black flags and placards, asking for a transparent probe into the scandal. Protesters blamed the BJP-led state government for protecting influential people and using force to silence dissenting voices.
Attacking the Opposition mercilessly, CM Sarma branded Congress leaders as hypocrites for speaking on cow protection when they consumed beef. “Congress leaders who eat beef do not have a moral ground to discuss Gir cows,” he uttered. Provoking them further, he continued, “If they are concerned about cows, let them give me an oath not to kill cows from the next Eid. Do they possess such courage?” The Chief Minister also appointed top Congress leaders—Rakibul Hussain, Rekibuddin Ahmed, Jakir Hussain Sikdar, and Nurul Huda—on the charges that they eat beef and thus lack any legitimacy on the matter. Sarma also accused that almost 1,400 cows had been butchered on Bakri Eid in Dhubri, pitting BJP’s policy against Congress’s practice: “We save cows even when they are dying, but Congress offers them in Kurbani,” he declared.
