New Delhi: The recent war of words between Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has fuelled political speculation in Assam.
On Wednesday, Rahul Gandhi, during a public rally in Assam, said he will send Sarma to jail in the event his party secures the mantle of power. Sarma promptly replied to the remark given by Gandhi and claimed that Rahul is on bail in numerous criminal cases. This abrupt comment by Gandhi has reignited their political rivalry. As a matter of fact, it is a battle that has been ongoing between the two leaders for more than ten years.
The bitterness started after Sarma quit the Congress in 2015 and joined the BJP. What drove the two apart?
When Sarma was in Congress body, he was a close associate of former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. Sarma’s problems began when Gaurav Gogoi, son of Tarun Gogoi, who had already become a leader in the Congress, started to rise through its ranks. Sarma believed he was the right-hand man of Tarun Gogoi, and he was frustrated when Gaurav grew in the party. The Congress vice-president, Rahul Gandhi, also appeared to be in Gaurav camp to the chagrin of Sarma. Frustrated over the situation and wanting to stamp his authority, Sarma left the Congress and joined the BJP.
The fortunes of the saffron party changed due to Sarma’s movement into the BJP. It was under him that BJP experienced victory in the Assam Assembly elections as it toppled the 15-year-old Congress government of Tarun Gogoi. Sarma was also able to influence other regions of the Northeast and played a crucial role in strengthening the BJP’s presence in the region. Whenever the BJP faced difficulties in these states, he always came to the party’s aid. He has served the party and was rewarded, and made the Chief Minister of Assam in 2021.
The shift to BJP transformed the course of Sarma. When in the Congress, he was a close associate of Rahul Gandhi, but things have since changed. Both have been slugging it out in the ring with increased vengeance. Sarma never minced words when talking of Rahul Gandhi. In one of the interviews in 2016, he presented a case against Gandhi, saying that he was an arrogant man, terming the relationship between them more of a servant-master kind, and described the treatment that he (Gandhi) subjected him to as humiliating.
Sarma has also recounted an embarrassing event that occurred while he was a member of Congress. Once Gandhi invited him to come over to his house. Whereas Gandhi was meeting Sarma and Gaurav, even their pet dog by the name of Pidi joined the gathering and reportedly took away some biscuits on a plate that was resting on a table and walked away with them. Gandhi did not replace the plate with a new one, and it was to the surprise of Sarma. He merely indicated it and exclaimed, “Thank god about his (Gandhi’s) hospitality.”
Sarma chose to counter Gandhi, who stated in a humorous fashion that the reason he posts on social media platforms is his pet dog Pidi, and he ran ahead to state that only he knew how Pidi barks. Sarma also recalls an instance when Gandhi was giving biscuits to Pidi while greeting him; instead of discussing important issues concerning Assam, Gandhi first talked about his dog’s activities.
Even Gandhi and Pidi had a story that was there again in 2022 and Sarma always used it to target Rahul. According to Sarma’s tweet, such actions were not considered political etiquette.
The Gandhi-Sarma war came to a high level when the former participated in his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in January 2024 in Assam. Gandhi pushed his jibes on Sarma to a greater extent, and he now directed his jibes at the Sarma family, including his wife and kids. In a public rally, Gandhi had even attacked Sarma as a thoroughly corrupt person who was so corrupt that his daily morning drink is poison! He has also called Sarma the most corrupt chief minister of India. Sarma returned fire against Gandhi.
On 23 January 2024, Sarma directed the Assam Director General of Police to file an FIR against Gandhi. During the yatra, a group of people accompanying Gandhi attacked the police barricade and broke it, a charge against Gandhi of inciting them. This incident once again underscored the turbulent state of relations between Sarma and Gandhi.
Will this exchange of words, filled with intense comments between Sarma and Gandhi, continue? Will the rulers of the two parties be forcing one another with shots of bitter sarcastic remarks? They appear to be. However, common people in Assam may be more interested in moving beyond headlines and do not want these issues to overshadow their development and the growth of the state. However, the feud persists, as both leaders seem eager to intensify their verbal sparring.
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