Congress leader files complaint against Assam CM over remarks questioning political opponents' birth

A Congress leader from Karbi Anglong has filed a police complaint against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, accusing him of making statements that questioned whether opposition party workers were born from their mothers' wombs.

Charisma Rongpipi, Media Chairperson of the Karbi Anglong District Congress Committee and a member of the Scheduled Tribe community, lodged the complaint at Diphu Police Station on October 8. The complaint centres on remarks Sarma made during the launch of the Orunodoi 3.0 scheme at Khanapara on October 7.

According to the complaint, while defending his government's welfare scheme against opposition criticism, the Chief Minister stated in Assamese: "I think sometime about the people in the Congress Party... that are they born from their mother's womb? ...If someone is born from their mother's womb... then showing respect to that mother will never be a crime, will never be wrong, will never be sin."

Rongpipi, 42, argues in her detailed complaint that the remarks directly attacked the dignity of Scheduled Tribe women affiliated with the Congress party. "These extremely derogatory words of the accused person, which has been widely circulated, has reduced the sacred act of motherhood in our ST community to a tool of political ridicule and casteist derogatory slur," the complaint states.

The document alleges the Chief Minister's comments have caused "immense personal distress, including sleeplessness, anxiety, and fear of community backlash" among tribal women Congress workers.

The complaint cites what it describes as a pattern of similar conduct by Sarma, referencing a February 2022 incident involving remarks about Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi, where the Chief Minister allegedly asked: "Did we ever ask you proof of whether you are Rajiv Gandhi's son or not?" Multiple FIRs were filed across India following that incident, according to the complaint.

It also references statements made during the April-May 2025 panchayat election campaign, where Sarma allegedly claimed that under Congress rule, "women had to compromise their chastity" to secure government jobs.

The complaint invokes several legal provisions, including sections related to outraging the modesty of women, promoting enmity between groups, criminal intimidation, and provisions under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for intentional insult and intimidation of ST members in public.

Rongpipi has requested immediate registration of an FIR, arrest of the accused, and thorough investigation including seizure of video evidence and social media posts.

Police sources confirmed receiving the complaint around 2 pm and said it is under preliminary examination. The Chief Minister's office has not yet responded to the allegations.