Silchar: Congress on Wednesday hit back at Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma for calling the grand old party a "male cow that does not give milk."
Speaking at Indira Bhavan, AICC secretary Prithviraj Prabhakar Sathe condemned Sarma's comments as ‘inappropriate' and said that it was an insult to the party which had shaped his early political career. "Sarma learned the nuances of politics in Congress. He is insulting the same organisation which nurtured him. It's like he is insulting his own mother."
Sathe also addressed Sarma's claim that the Congress was causing problems for the Bengali Hindus as he brought up the issue of BJP's Dholai candidate, Nihar Ranjan Das, receiving the tag of a "Bangladeshi." He said that the Congress was only echoing concerns raised by Cachar district BJP vice-president Amiyo Kanti Das, who has reportedly called Das a Bangladeshi. "This is not a Congress issue, it's BJP's issue. The CM should address it," Sathe said.
While Sarma has attempted to downplay Das' alleged foreign origin by comparing him to Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, Sathe said the comparison was misleading "The CM's argument is misplaced. Sonia Gandhi's citizenship is established, but if BJP's own leaders question Das' identity, Sarma should clarify," Sathe remarked.
Sathe argued that the BJP's handling of the Dholai candidate's background shows the party's disregard for local sentiment, especially in a constituency with a significant Bengali Hindu population. He further emphasized the need for an investigation by the Cachar district administration into Das' citizenship status to clear the confusion.