Himanta in the dock: Congress women demand CBI probe, apology over 'derogatory' job scam remark

The Congress' women wing of all northeastern states, on May 4, announced that they will stage protests against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over his alleged derogatory remarks against women made during the panchayat poll campaign and demanded a CBI enquiry.

Setting an ultimatum for Chief Minister Sarma to issue an apology, the women's wing stated that protests would continue across the region. They also demanded a CBI inquiry into Sarma's alleged derogatory remarks claiming that women had used the “wrong path” to secure government jobs during the Congress regime in the state.

At a press conference, Assam Pradesh Mahila Congress president Mira Borthakur Goswami said, "Such disparaging remarks against women by a chief minister cannot be tolerated. He has to apologise as he has disrespected all women in government jobs, right from the Anganwadi and ASHA worker to the topmost bureaucrat." 

She was flanked by chiefs of women wings of five NE states of the opposition party.

Sarma, during a panchayat election rally recently, had mentioned a witness statement from the report of the Justice (Retd) BK Sharma commission on irregularities in the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) examinations for 2013 and 2014, when Congress was in power.

He said the witness' statement maintained that women had to adopt a "wrong path" to get jobs during the Congress regime.

While the Assam unit has already written to the National Commission for Women (NCW) seeking action against Sarma, similar complaints will be filed before the respective state women's commission in all NE states on Monday, Goswami said.

"We hope that the NCW and the state women commissions will register our complaint and forward the matter for a CBI enquiry," she said.

Goswami said protests against the chief minister will continue, with effigies of the BJP leader to be burnt in all the NE states.

She also announced forming a joint forum of Congress' women wings of all NE states to take up issues concerning women cutting across party lines.
Goswami said that Sarma was part of three successive Congress governments since 2001, before switching over to BJP in 2015, and alleged that he was privy to any scam that might have occurred.

"Our demand is that Sarma should apologise. And if he fails to do that, then there should be an enquiry by a central agency into any truth behind his accusation," she said.

Stressing that Sarma had quoted a witness statement from the report, Goswami said that the credibility of that witness had been questioned over time and he had mentioned about two specific women officers.

"But the chief minister has generalised the witness statement. There are other revelations also in the report, but he is being selective in mentioning those, the Congress leader claimed.

Tripura Women Congress president Sarbani Chakravarty, criticising Sarma, said, "We will continue with our protests till he apologises. We also demand a CBI probe into the job scam." Echoing her, the chief of Mizoram Congress' women wing Gogbinliani Diyani added, "It should not be forgotten that Himanta Biswa Sarma was part of the Congress government during which the alleged irregularities had taken place. He cannot be exempted from investigation." Nagalang Congress' women wing president Akumla Pogem also hit out at the chief minister and said a person with such "low opinion" of women should not be allowed to hold such a high position.

The presidents of Congress' women wings of Meghalaya and Manipur, Jopiyn Scott Shylla and Mutum Sarma Devi, also criticised Sarma for his alleged remark and demanded an apology from him.