Bhupesh Baghel hits back at Himanta Biswa Sarma, urges focus on flood relief, rising prices
Bhupesh Baghel hit back at Himanta Biswa Sarma and asked the Assam government to prioritise flood relief and rising prices. He also outlined Congress consultations for the Nagaon by-election and questioned whether China-related issues would be raised at the BRICS Summit.
- Sep 12, 2026,
- Updated Sep 12, 2026, 2:47 PM IST
- Baghel said flood-hit residents were still not receiving adequate state relief
- He flagged rising petrol, diesel, cooking gas and sugar prices
- Assam Congress has begun meetings to finalise Nagaon by-election strategy
Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister and Congress General Secretary in-charge of Assam Bhupesh Baghel on September 12 hit back at Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s remarks against him, urging the state government to focus on the concerns of people affected by floods and rising prices.
Speaking to reporters during his visit to Rajiv Bhawan, Baghel said the Assam government should prioritise providing relief to flood-affected people and addressing the rising prices of essential commodities.
Baghel questioned why adequate relief was not reaching flood-affected people despite Assam having a “double-engine government”.
He also urged the Chief Minister to focus on providing relief to people amid rising prices of petrol, diesel, cooking gas and sugar.
On the upcoming Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election, Baghel said the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee was holding a series of meetings to finalise the party’s strategy and candidate.
He said meetings of the Political Affairs Committee, vice-presidents and Pradesh Election Committee had already been held, while consultations with MLAs and observers appointed for the Nagaon by-election were also scheduled.
“All the names that come up in these meetings will be considered and shortlisted, and then we will send the names to the AICC. From there, our candidate will be declared,” Baghel said.
The Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election is scheduled for October 6, 2026, with counting of votes set for October 9.
On the BRICS Summit and criticism of the event by Congress leaders, Baghel questioned whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi would raise issues concerning China, including the Galwan episode and the Arunachal Pradesh boundary issue, during engagements involving the Chinese leadership.
Meanwhile, the Congress is continuing its internal consultations before forwarding its recommendations for the Nagaon by-election candidate to the All India Congress Committee (AICC).
