Himanta accuses Rahul of protecting extremists

Dibrugarh

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday alleged that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and his party are shielding communal elements involved in recent provocative acts in the state, including the throwing of meat near temples.

Addressing the media, Sarma said, “This is typical of Rahul Gandhi. The Congress always wants to protect communal elements and avoid social harmony.” His remarks followed Congress state president Gaurav Gogoi’s criticism, who claimed such incidents pointed to an intelligence failure under the BJP-led government.

Sarma was referring to communal unrest triggered earlier this month, particularly in Dhubri, after reports of cattle slaughter during Eid and pieces of meat being thrown at places of worship. “Will a Hindu slaughter a cow and place parts of it in a temple? Such people don’t deserve a response,” he said, adding that locals have identified some of the culprits as “misguided youths.” So far, police have arrested 50 individuals in Dhubri and five in Goalpara in connection with these incidents. On June 8, Sarma had also ordered shoot-at-sight orders in the troubled areas of Dhubri to control rising tensions.

In response to Gogoi’s allegation that RSS has infiltrated every village in Assam to create communal discord before the upcoming Assembly elections, Sarma dismissed the claims and reiterated that the Congress’s stance only emboldens disruptive forces. The Chief Minister emphasized that the state government would act firmly against any attempts to disturb communal harmony, regardless of political or ideological affiliations.