BJP stages statewide protests over bottle attack on CM Sarma’s convoy
Demonstrations were held across multiple districts, with senior party leaders condemning the attack & accusing Congress of orchestrating it
Guwahati June 1: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) staged state-wide protests on Tuesday in response to the bottle-throwing incident targeting Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s convoy in Golaghat a day earlier.
Demonstrations were held across multiple districts, with senior party leaders and ministers condemning the attack and accusing the Congress of orchestrating it.
In Sribhumi, local residents, joined by BJP workers and senior leaders, blocked the National Highway in protest.
Public Works (Roads) Minister Krishnendu Paul sharply criticised the incident, calling it part of a larger conspiracy.
"The Congress is trying to make Assam like Kashmir, but the people of Assam will never allow that," Paul said.
He also suggested that foreign elements might have been involved, adding, "Foreigners have always been linked with the Congress, and we believe they are behind this attack. This has never happened before in the state."
In Dhubri, Tourism Minister Ranjeet Kumar Dass demanded a public apology from the Congress, particularly targeting Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Gaurav Gogoi.
"The Chief Minister is democratically elected. This attack is not on Himanta Biswa Sarma alone but on the people’s mandate. The Congress must apologise to the people of Assam," Dass said.
He further claimed that the people of Dhubri, cutting across linguistic and religious lines, have decided to bar Gaurav Gogoi from visiting the district until an apology is issued.
In Biswanath, members of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) staged a protest march from the Clock Tower in Biswa Nath Chariali to the local police station.
The protest saw the participation of senior party leaders including MLA Diganta Ghatowal and District BJP President Asim Das, who raised slogans against the Congress and demanded accountability.
The protest wave reached Dima Hasao as well, where BJYM members in Haflong condemned the incident by organising a sit-in strike at the party office. The youth wing raised slogans and called for strict action against those responsible.
The protests follow the detention of six individuals in connection with the bottle-throwing incident, including Congress workers, a development that has deepened the political blame game between the BJP and Congress.
While the Chief Minister brushed off the incident with sarcasm, referring to it as the Congress’s "hard work", BJP leaders across the state have taken a far more serious view, framing it as an attack on democratic values and law and order.