"Rejaul became a hero due to Congress inaction": Himanta Biswa Sarma takes a dig at Gaurav Gogoi

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday, January 14 took a dig at Lok Sabha MP and Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Gaurav Gogoi, accusing the Congress leadership of moral weakness and political opportunism in handling the controversy surrounding former minority leader Rejaul Karim Sarkar.

Reacting to Sarkar’s controversial remarks and his subsequent exit from the Congress, Sarma alleged that Gogoi failed to display the political courage required to take firm disciplinary action. According to the Chief Minister, Sarkar should have been immediately boycotted or expelled for making statements that, he said, threatened Assam’s social harmony and demographic balance.

Mocking the Congress’s handling of the episode, Sarma remarked that the party’s inaction had effectively elevated Sarkar’s political stature. “Gaurav Gogoi did not have the courage to expel Rejaul Karim. Now, by resigning himself, Rejaul has become a hero,” the Chief Minister said. He further added that many Congress members were working for him politically, asserting that he would be “pleased” if anyone chose to align with his leadership.

The controversy traces back to January 11 when Rejaul Karim Sarkar, former president of the All Assam Minorities Students’ Union (AAMSU), formally joined the Indian National Congress at a programme held at the Manabendra Sharma Complex in Guwahati. Sarkar was inducted into the party in the presence of APCC president Gaurav Gogoi, with the move projected as part of the Congress’s strategy to consolidate minority youth support ahead of the 2026 Assam Assembly elections.

However, the political messaging surrounding Sarkar’s induction quickly unraveled. During the joining ceremony, Sarkar made remarks that sparked widespread outrage, claiming that several districts in Assam would be transformed into one another under the Congress’s vision of “Bor Asom” or greater Assam. “We will make Sivasagar like Dhubri, turn Dhubri into Sivasagar, make Barak like Sivasagar, and turn Tinsukia into Dhubri,” he said, statements that were interpreted by critics as an attempt to redraw Assam’s demographic and cultural identity.

The comments triggered immediate backlash across political and civil society circles. Chief Minister Sarma accused Gogoi of remaining a silent spectator during the speech and warned that such remarks amounted to a dangerous narrative suggesting the relocation of Bangladeshi-origin migrants into indigenous-dominated regions. He asserted that such statements were unacceptable and claimed that anyone making such remarks in his presence would have been “shoved out” without hesitation.

Opposition leaders and regional outfits also reacted strongly. Raijor Dal chief and Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi expressed grave concern, cautioning that any attempt to provoke social unrest or disturb Assam’s ethnic balance would be fiercely resisted. Protests erupted in several parts of the state, including Lakhimpur and Amguri, where nationalist organisations such as Bir Lachit Sena and Asomiya Yuva Mancha staged demonstrations, burned effigies of Sarkar, and issued ultimatums demanding strict political accountability.

Amid mounting pressure and sustained outrage, Rejaul Karim Sarkar eventually exited the Congress, bringing a premature end to what had been projected as a strategic political induction. The episode has since intensified political sparring between the ruling BJP and the Congress, with the controversy now emerging as a flashpoint ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls.