HT Correspondent
GUWAHATI, July 16 : Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday hit back at Rahul Gandhi after the Congress leader took a swipe at the Chief Minister on corruption.
Sarma responded with sarcasm to Rahul Gandhi’s sharp criticism during his visit to the state, suggesting that the Congress leader had inadvertently elevated his political stature.
In a post on X, the Chief Minister remarked that Gandhi seemed to have focused solely on him throughout his visit.
The Assam CM’s X post mentioned, “I must say, I am grateful—because today, he has elevated my political stature to a level I might never have reached had I remained in the Congress party.”
“He mentioned my name repeatedly in all his meetings,” the Chief Minister wrote, adding that such attention from the Leader of the Opposition was a matter of “great satisfaction.”
Taking a swipe at his former party, Sarma, who defected from the Congress to join the BJP in 2015, said that the recognition he now enjoys would not have been possible had he remained with the Congress.
“If Rahul Gandhi has chosen to criticise me, it is a clear sign that I must be doing something right for the people of Assam,” he stated.
The remark comes amid heightened political rhetoric between the BJP and Congress as both parties gear up for the 2026 Assam Assembly elections.
Sarma also wrote on X targeting Rahul Gandhi, “I heard you are out on bail on charges of massive corruption of over ₹5,000 crore in the National Herald scam. You will be remembered as one of the most corrupt Congress presidents of India. Frankly, I don’t care about what you say—because I know, and the country knows, that you are one of the most corrupt leaders in India today.”






