'Best time for tourism in Assam': Himanta Biswa mocks Priyanka Gandhi, Kejriwal

GUWAHATI: Assam Finance, Education, and Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma today took a swipe at opposition leaders who are coming to Assam to help their allies ahead of the ensuing polls in the state.

 

Talking to media persons here earlier today, Sarma said, "This is the best time for Assam tourism for politicians. Be it Priyanka Gandhi or Arvind Kejriwal. You cannot roam around without a mask in other states like Delhi; here, there is no compulsion to do so because neither the Minister, nor the public are wearing masks."

 

Sarma was referring to the recently 'forgotten' practice of wearing masks to arrest the spread the spread of COVID-19. Sarma, who yesterday took a COVID-19 shot in the second phase of the vaccination drive, himself has been culpable for forgoing masks during the campaign trail.

 

While Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi has arrived in Assam on a two-day visit, Arvind Kejriwal has supposedly thrown his support behind regional powers (AJP and Raijor Dal).

 

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Gandhi, who was recently seen plucking tea leaves with tea community members, has urged the people of the state to vote the BJP-led coalition government out of power. Votes of tea garden workers, owners will be deciding factors in at least 40 of Assam's 126 Assembly seats.  Her visit comes days after the BJP-led government in Assam hiked the daily wage of the tea garden workers by Rs 50 from Rs 167 to Rs 217.

 

Yesterday, after meeting the jailed KMSS leader Akhil Gogoi at GMCH, AJP chief Lurinjyoti said, “In the first round, the party will nominate the highest number of candidates. We will contact Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for election campaign.”

 

It is pertinent to mention here that Gogoi was once Kejriwal's colleague in the Anna Hazare-led India Against Corruption (IAC) campaign.

 

Hence, Kejriwal's visit to the poll-bound state in the near future cannot be ruled out entirely.