'Entirely baseless': Kunki Chowdhury hits back at Himanta Biswa Sarma's claims on her mother

Kunki Chowdhury, the Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) candidate for the Guwahati Central constituency, has fired back at Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma after he levelled allegations against her mother during a media interaction, calling the claims "entirely baseless" and arguing that the controversy had only worked in her favour.

 

Speaking on April 2, Chowdhury opened her response with an unusual touch — by thanking the Chief Minister. She then got straight to the point, saying the allegations against her mother were "entirely baseless" and that dragging her into the debate had spectacularly backfired.

 

"By bringing my mother's name into the discussion, the issue has now reached a wider audience across the country — and now the entire country will know who Kunti Chowdhury is," she said.

 

The response came after Sarma raised pointed questions about the background of Chowdhury's mother, Sujata Gurung Chowdhury, a resident of Sikkim, alleging that her social media activity was "hurtful to sentiments." The Chief Minister claimed she had posted photographs of consuming beef on Instagram and made remarks that, he said, challenged Sanatan Dharma

 

He further alleged that she had expressed support for Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid — both figures who have faced legal and political controversy — and had made comments related to the so-called "chicken neck" corridor and questioned whether Pakistan was truly an enemy of India.

 

Sarma also directed his criticism at AJP president Lurinjyoti Gogoi, urging him to personally look into the social media profile and statements attributed to Chowdhury's mother before fielding such candidates.

 

Kunki Chowdhury, however, appeared unfazed, framing the Chief Minister's remarks as a sign of political nervousness rather than a legitimate attack. "This development reflects a growing sense of insecurity among some political actors in Guwahati Central, who appear to have already conceded ground," she said. "Their reaction suggests they are unsettled by my entry into politics."

 

"I am steadfast in my resolve. We will continue to be the voice of the people of Guwahati Central and the new generation of Assam. The comments made by Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma today, regarding us are completely baseless and unfounded," she added.

 

What makes her pushback notable is the timeline. Chowdhury has been in the political arena for barely a fortnight. "It has been only 15 days since I began this journey, yet the support and encouragement I have received from people has been overwhelming," she said, adding that the response had "clearly made an impact" — impact enough, it seems, to prompt a sitting Chief Minister to weigh in.