HT Digital
GUWAHATI, APR 16: A video showing Assam BJP president Dilip Saikia shouting at state minister Jayanta Malla Baruah in the presence of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has stirred political controversy and drawn sharp criticism from the Congress.
The incident reportedly took place on Tuesday during the inauguration of the BJP mandal office at Bahjani in Nalbari district. In the footage, Saikia can be seen walking briskly towards Baruah and raising his voice, while Chief Minister Sarma stands beside them. Though the exact words are inaudible, the visible tension has caused a stir within political circles.
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Sources within the BJP suggest that Saikia was upset after being denied entry into the event hall while the CM, Minister Baruah, and the local mandal president were already inside. Saikia, who is also the MP from Darrang-Udalguri, allegedly confronted Baruah—who represents the Nalbari constituency—questioning how such an oversight could occur in his own area.
When approached for comments, BJP spokesperson Manoj Baruah dismissed the episode as an “internal matter” and declined to elaborate. Neither Dilip Saikia nor Jayanta Malla Baruah has made any public statement regarding the confrontation.
Meanwhile, Assam Congress president Bhupen Borah was quick to react, framing the altercation as evidence of internal rifts within the BJP. He described the spat as a clash between long-time “RSS-loyalists” like Saikia and the party’s “new guard,” referring to leaders such as Sarma and Baruah, who previously served in the Congress before joining the BJP within the last decade.
Borah also took a jab at the Chief Minister in a scathing post on X (formerly Twitter), mocking Sarma’s silence during the confrontation. “Just see how the CM, who boasts about his bravery by jailing common people, journalists, and Congress spokespeople, stood quietly in front of the BJP state president. Nice to see you lose your voice. You’ve always valued your chair more than your self-respect—here’s the latest proof,” Borah wrote.
