New Delhi: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has criticised Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi accusing him of defending communal elements allegedly involved in incidents of desecration at places of worship.
Referring to recent incidents where pieces of meat were reportedly thrown at temples during Eid on June 8, CM Sarma alleged that such acts were the result of illegal cattle slaughter at various locations. “Local people have indicated the involvement of anti-social elements,” he said at a press conference. “I don’t understand why the Congress is trying to protect these individuals. This has always been Rahul Gandhi’s approach, siding with communal elements and disrupting social harmony.”
Sarma attacks Gogoi
The chief minister further targeted Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi, who had earlier blamed the BJP-led state government of intelligence failure that allowed the incidents and subsequent clashes to occur. Gogoi also accused the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of making inroads into villages across Assam, allegedly “stirring communal tensions” in the lead-up to the upcoming state assembly elections.
In a sharp rebuttal, Sarma questioned the narrative that Hindus could be behind such acts. He asked: “How can a Hindu person slaughter a cow and place it in a temple?” He dismissed such claims as baseless and calling those who make them “parochial” in mindset. “Such people have a very different mentality and do not deserve a response.”
‘No Hindu capable of such gruesome acts’
He dismissed the possibility of BJP-RSS or Hindu groups being behind the act, saying, “How can BJP-RSS members or devout Hindus do something so contradictory to their belief? What about the rest of the cow’s remains? We recovered all parts of the animal immediately after Eid. Even local residents admitted that it was the act of some misled youth from the area.”
So far, authorities have arrested 50 people in Dhubri and five in Goalpara in connection with the incidents, and investigations are ongoing.
