Youth protest erupts at AJP's Kunki Chowdhury rally in Guwahati over 'beef' post controversy

Tensions flared at a campaign rally of AJP candidate Kunki Chowdhury in Guwahati after a group of youths allegedly staged a protest over a controversy linked to her family’s social media posts.

According to reports, the protesters raised objections to visuals allegedly showing the consumption of beef, which they claimed hurt religious sentiments. 

The visuals had earlier been circulated by Assam minister and BJP candidate from Jagiroad, Pijush Hazarika, intensifying the political row.

While the AJP camp has maintained that the allegations are being used to malign the candidate’s image, the BJP has continued to question the opposition over what it terms disregard for majority sentiments.

The protest at the rally of Kunki Chowdhury is rooted in a controversy that has been building over the past few days around alleged social media activity linked to her family.

The issue first gained traction after Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma publicly raised questions about posts attributed to Chowdhury’s mother, Sujata Gurung Chowdhury. He alleged that certain images showing the consumption of beef and accompanying remarks were offensive to Hindu sentiments and inconsistent with the cultural sensitivities of Assam’s electorate. The Chief Minister also made broader claims about her past social media positions, linking them to politically sensitive issues and individuals.

On the other hand, Chowdhury strongly rejected the allegations, calling them baseless and politically motivated. She argued that the ruling party’s focus on personal attacks reflected nervousness about her growing support in Guwahati Central.

Emphasising that she had only recently entered electoral politics, she maintained that the response from voters had been encouraging and that such controversies were attempts to derail her campaign.

As the issue gained visibility, it began to resonate on the ground, culminating in the youth protest witnessed at her rally in Guwahati, thereby turning an online controversy into a visible flashpoint in the ongoing election campaign.