Priyank Kharge a ‘first-class idiot,’ says Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on October 27 launched a scathing attack on Karnataka minister and Congress leader Priyank Kharge for his controversial remark that “Assam lacks talented and capable people to establish industries.” 

The statement has sparked outrage across the state, with both the government and the BJP terming it a “grave insult” to the people of Assam, especially the youth.

Speaking to reporters, Chief Minister Sarma hit out strongly at Kharge, calling him a “first-class idiot.” “He has insulted Assamese youth, and Congress has not yet condemned this. Perhaps, we might file a case against him because he has said that Assam does not have educated youth. It is an insult to all the youth of Assam,” Sarma said, adding that such remarks reflect the Congress party’s “deep-seated arrogance and ignorance” about Assam’s capabilities.

Earlier in the day, addressing a press conference at the BJP State Headquarters, Vajpayee Bhawan in Basistha, party spokesperson Jayanta Kumar Goswami said Kharge’s comment had deeply hurt Assamese sentiments and undermined the state’s pride. He also challenged Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Gaurav Gogoi to “show courage” by passing a resolution condemning Kharge’s statement.

Also Read: BJP dares Gaurav Gogoi to condemn Priyank Kharge’s ‘anti-Assam’ remarks

“The Congress Party has a long history of humiliating Assam and the Northeast,” Goswami said, recalling what he described as the party’s repeated neglect of the region. He cited Jawaharlal Nehru’s handling of the 1962 Sino-Indian war, which he said “virtually abandoned Assam,” and Indira Gandhi’s decision during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, which allegedly led to the influx of 40 lakh illegal migrants into the state.

Goswami further said that Congress’s repeated “disrespect” — from the Assam Accord’s 1971 cut-off year for citizenship under Rajiv Gandhi to Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra map controversy, which allegedly omitted the Northeast — has alienated the people of Assam. He added that the latest remark by Priyank Kharge was just another example of the Congress’s “persistent disregard for Assam’s dignity and potential.”

The BJP leaders maintained that Assam’s youth have proven their competence and capability in every field, from administration and entrepreneurship to education and innovation, and said the state would continue to progress under the current leadership.