ECI bars Himanta Biswa Sarma from campaigning for 48 hours

GUWAHATI: Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has been banned by the Election Commission of India from campaigning for 48 hours for threatening to send political rival Hagrama Mohilary to jail by using the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Sarma has been barred from holding public meetings, public processions, public rallies, roadshows, interviews and public utterances in media.

"...the Commission hereby strongly condemns the impugned statements made by Sh. Himanta Biswa Sarma, BJP leader and star campaigner. The Commission, under Article 324 of the Constitution of India and all other powers enabling in this behalf, bars him from holding any public meetings, public processions, public rallies, road shows, interviews and public utterances in media (electronic, print, social media) etc. in connection with ongoing elections for 48 hours from immediate effect on 02.04.2021 (Friday)," the election body wrote in its notice.

After campaigning all across Assam during the year, the minister was expected to turn his eye homewards -- to his constituency Jalukbari -- during the final two days of campaigning. Tomorrow, the BJP's main troubleshooter in the Northeast had scheduled a massive election rally in Sonaram HS School field in Guwahati city, the biggest metropolitan centre.

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Since Assam is scheduled to hold the third and final phase of the election on April 6, the 48-hour ban means that Sarma can no longer campaign for his party during the remainder of the period. The campaign will end by the time he will be free to go back to campaign. Campaign ends on April 4 evening.

On Thursday the Election Commission issued a show-cause notice to Mr Sarma and referred to a speech on March 28, during which he said: "... 'If Hagrama Mohilary does extremism... he will go to jail. This is a straight talk... Already got a lot of evidence. This case is being given to NIA (National Investigation Agency). The recovery of arms at Kokrajhar in a car, that case is being given to NIA. Nobody will be allowed to do unrest in Bodoland Territorial Region, even if he is Hagrama..."

The opposition Congress had complained to the poll panel, alleging that Sarma had threatened to send Mohilary to jail by “misusing” the NIA.

The notice to Sarma cited various provisions of the model code of conduct, including the one dealing with refraining from making unverified allegations against political rivals.

“…the Commission is, prima facie, of the view that Sarma has violated the above said provisions of the Model Code of Conduct,” the notice read.

Yesterday, after the notice was issued, Biswa Sarma tweeted out that his “formal response” will unveil some startling facts on the issue.

Earlier in the afternoon today, Biswa Sarma had said that he will expose the link between Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) supremo Hagrama Mohilary and extremist M Batha "with documents" in front of the Election Commission.