“I have so many friends and young people whom I have brought into politics. They asked for my advice and I don’t charge for it,” says Assm CM Himanta Biswa Sarma.
New Delhi,UPDATED: Dec 14, 2022 21:50 IST
Himanta Biswa Sarma speaks about his relation with leaders of Congress in Assam. (File photo: PTI)
By India Today Web Desk: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday claimed that he runs 50 per cent of the Congress in his state. Explaining further, Biswa said that many leaders in Congress are his friends and they come to him for advice.
Speaking at India Today North East Townhall, Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “I have spent as many as 22 years in Congress. Therefore, even if I have joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) now, my relationship with them will not finish overnight. I have so many friends and young people whom I have brought into politics. They asked for my advice and I don’t charge for it”.
Speaking about Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra, Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “Don’t you think that in any election you must talk about your principal opposition? In Assam right now there is no election so why should we talk about Rahul Gandhi?”
“They should do a Bharat Jodo atra in Assam. What is wrong in that we are giving them security the way we have given security to Maharashtra ministers? Tomorrow Mr Kharge is coming. We’re providing all the security to Mr Kharge also,” he added.
However, the chief minister also slammed the grand old party and said that it wants to create a tamasha (issue) in Parliament over the clash between India and China in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang sector on December 9.
The BJP leader also said that the issue should not be discussed further and shouldn’t be debated much in public. “I do not think that this debate should be made open because when you discuss such things, the Chinese will also carefully listen to the debate and they will draw strategy based on these discussions,” he said.
ALSO READ | Did the PLA attempt the Tawang incursion to test the Indian Army’s alertness?
“In such crucial times, it is always better for the Opposition to conclude the debate with a one-liner that we stand with our Army,” the chief minister added.
The clash in Tawang sector snowballed into a major political issue ever since it came to light. Congress has accused the government of hiding the truth and staged a walkout in both houses of Parliament.
The Opposition led by the Congress alleged that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s statement in Parliament on the Sino-India border clash was “incomplete” and demanded the government discusses the issue in Parliament.
