Congress leader Pawan Khera: Did Assam CM meet Bangladeshi cleric before joining BJP?

The Congress on Tuesday, February 10 stepped up its attack on Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, with senior party leader Pawan Khera alleging that Sarma had sought spiritual guidance in Bangladesh in 2015. "Having already resigned from the Congress party then, Sarma was uncertain about joining the BJP", wrote Pawan Khera on X.

In a post on social media platform X, Khera claimed that Sarma had met Dewan Muhammad Saidur Rahman Chishti Saidabadi, a Muslim cleric based in Bangladesh, during a period of political uncertainty after resigning from the Congress. According to Khera, Sarma allegedly sought ‘dua’ (prayers) and advice from the cleric regarding his political future.

Khera further alleged that the cleric advised Sarma to join the Bharatiya Janata Party, an instruction that Sarma purportedly followed by formally entering the BJP in August 2015. “The rest is history,” Khera remarked.

The Congress leader claimed the alleged interaction raises several uncomfortable questions for the Assam Chief Minister. Khera argued that Sarma’s purported reliance on a Bangladeshi religious figure stood in contrast to his present political rhetoric, particularly on issues related to Bangladesh and cross-border influence.

Listing what he termed as “clear takeaways,” Khera alleged that Sarma had chosen to seek counsel from a Muslim cleric rather than a Hindu religious figure, that he did not harbour the hostility towards Bangladesh or Bangladeshi Muslims that he now publicly projects, and that his entry into the BJP was influenced by advice received from across the border.

Khera also posed a series of questions, asking whether Sarma had indeed travelled to Bangladesh for the meeting, and if so, why the visit was never proactively disclosed. He further questioned why the Chief Minister had never publicly clarified the role such an interaction may have played in his political decisions and ascent within the BJP.

Escalating the attack, the Congress leader sought assurances that Sarma does not continue to receive “advice or directions” from across the border, and controversially suggested that such alleged links could raise concerns related to national security. Khera also questioned whether Sarma could be vulnerable to foreign influence, claims that have not been substantiated by any official agency.

The remarks come amid an escalating war of words between the BJP and the Congress in Assam and at the national level. The BJP has repeatedly targeted Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, alleging links with Pakistan, claims that Gogoi and the Congress have strongly denied, calling them politically motivated and baseless.

The political temperature rose further after an AI-generated video portraying a “point-blank shot” featuring Himanta Biswa Sarma circulated on social media platforms before being deleted.

Meanwhile, the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC), on February 10, lodged a police complaint at Dispur Police Station against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, alleging that a social media post shared by the party was “highly provocative” and communal in nature.

In the complaint, APCC leaders Sibamoni Bora and Diganta Bauman said that on February 7, the official X handle of BJP Assam shared content allegedly showing Sarma symbolically firing at members of the Muslim community at point-blank range. The post, according to the complainants, carried overlaid text such as “foreigner free Assam”, “No mercy”, “Why did you not go to Pakistan?” and “There is no forgiveness to Bangladeshis”.

The APCC alleged that the language and imagery appeared to target Muslims of Bengali origin, “often derogatorily labelled as ‘Miyas’ or ‘Bangladeshis’”, and warned that the content was capable of disrupting communal harmony in the state. The party urged the police to register a case under the relevant penal provisions and take necessary action.

The controversy has also reached the judiciary. Earlier on Tuesday, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) moved the Supreme Court of India seeking directions against what it described as discriminatory remarks by the Assam Chief Minister. The matter was mentioned for urgent hearing before Chief Justice of India Surya Kant by advocate Nizam Pasha.

“We seek urgent intervention of this Court with respect to disturbing speeches made by the sitting CM of Assam, including a recent video posted where he is shown as shooting at members of a particular community,” Pasha told the court. Responding, the Chief Justice observed that electoral politics often finds its way into courtrooms during election periods. “The problem is, when elections come, part of it is fought in the Supreme Court. We will see,” he said.

Meanwhile, the issue has triggered police complaints outside Assam as well. Asaduddin Owaisi, chief of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, on Monday approached the Hyderabad City Police seeking criminal action against Sarma over a “now-deleted video” that he described as “genocidal hate speech”.

In a post on X, Owaisi said the video showed Sarma symbolically shooting at people “very obviously depicted as Muslims”. “I have lodged an official complaint… demanding criminal action against Himanta Sarma for his (now deleted) violent video showing him shooting Muslims. Unfortunately, genocidal hate speech has become a norm,” he wrote. The complaint stated that phrases such as “Point blank shot” and “No Mercy” were intended to outrage religious feelings, promote communal hatred and incite violence.

According to Owaisi, the video was uploaded on February 7 from the official BJP Assam account and taken down a day later, though it continues to circulate on social media. He argued that law enforcement agencies are constitutionally bound to act suo motu in cases of hate speech, even without a formal complaint.

Reacting to Owaisi’s complaint, Sarma on Monday said he had “no objection” to being arrested. “I am ready to go to jail. If he has filed a case against me, arrest me; what objection do I have?” he said. The Chief Minister, however, added that he stood by his position against “Bangladeshi infiltrators”, saying, “I stand by my words… and I will continue to be against them.”