HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, July 25: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma took to Twitter on Tuesday to allege bias on the part of the Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) for its selective focus on the Manipur incident while remaining silent on similar issues in other states.
In response to a tweet by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, where Gandhi expressed the alliance’s commitment to heal Manipur and rebuild the idea of India in the state, chief minister Sarma pointed out the alleged bias in INDIA’s approach. He stated, “Mr. Gandhi, this inherent bias is precisely the problem of I.N.D.I.A. Speak only against Manipur and punish those who speak for others.”
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Sarma further clarified that his allegiance, as well as that of Bharat (India), is towards every citizen, regardless of the state they belong to—be it Manipur, Rajasthan, West Bengal, or Assam. Emphasising the unity of the nation, he added, “BHARAT will win, BHARAT has to win.”
The opposition alliance, INDIA, consisting of 26 parties, was formed on July 18 in Bengaluru. Chief minister Sarma has been engaging in a series of Twitter exchanges, criticising the alliance for its choice of name, which he considers “colonial”. In response to this criticism, Sarma even changed his Twitter biodata from “Chief Minister of Assam, India” to “Chief Minister of Assam, Bharat.”
The Congress party responded to Sarma’s criticism, asserting that he should direct his concerns about “colonial” names to the Prime Minister, who has used names like ‘Skill India’ and ‘Start-up India’ for government schemes. The ongoing Twitter jibes highlight the political tensions between the ruling party and the newly-formed opposition alliance.
