Assam CM alleges Congress taking help of about 2000 Facebook accounts based in Bangladesh

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday, June 4 raised serious concerns over alleged foreign interference in the state's political discourse, claiming that approximately 2,000 Facebook accounts based in Bangladesh and Pakistan have been actively engaged in commenting on Assam’s ongoing electoral developments. These accounts, he said, are suspected to be influencing the narrative surrounding the Congress party’s campaign.

“We have received credible inputs indicating that the Assam Congress is receiving digital support from around 2,000 Facebook handles originating from Bangladesh,” CM Sarma stated, addressing a press briefing. “Half of these accounts appear to be linked to Bangladesh and Pakistan. We have referred these accounts to the Special Branch (SB) for verification.”

The Chief Minister alleged that these suspicious accounts have been systematically commenting—both positively and negatively—on election-related content in Assam. “The sheer scale of this digital activity raises the possibility of orchestrated foreign influence, possibly driven by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), which seems to have a vested interest in steering Assam’s electoral outcome,” he said, adding that further clarity on the matter would be shared on September 10.

Sarma also took note of a significant decline in turnout from minority communities at Congress public meetings, particularly in areas with a large population base. “In minority-dominated areas such as Lahorighat, which has a population of over 5 lakh, attendance was noticeably thin—just about 2,000 in Morigaon, 1,000 in Jagiroad, and fewer than 5,000 across all minority zones,” the CM said. “This contradicts the claim that minority communities are strongly supporting Congress this time.”

He further alleged the existence of a call center in Kolkata reportedly involved in managing some of these digital operations, adding that the entire situation remains under close government scrutiny. “We’re not saying all the 2,000 accounts are foreign, but they were created by a particular community on specific dates. Everything is being watched. Assam politics will become more interesting by September,” he said.