I wish him excel in his political career criticising me: Himanta on Gaurav’s jibe

GUWAHATI: Assam education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma today said he wished deputy leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi excel in his political career by criticising him during electioneering in Assam.

“He is a young man. He would go on saying anything. I don’t want to argue with him. He is like my son. I was a ministerial colleague with his father (Tarun Gogoi) and had enough of arguments and shared good rapport as well. He has left us for heavenly abode and we made all efforts to give him the respect and honour he deserved.

“I wish him success in his political career even if criticising me can help it. As far as answering him is concerned, my son will do so when he grows up. But, that doesn’t mean that I am grooming my son to be a politician. He wants to study law and, maybe he will reply as a lawyer or anything else,” Sarma said when media persons asked him about a recent jibe by Gogoi saying Sarma would not dare to leave the BJP now.

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Addressing party workers at Morigaon on Thursday, the Kaliabor MP took a sharp jibe at Sarma saying: "We are standing strong, loyal to the Congress, even during the bad times. But, can Himanta Biswa Sarma swear that he would not desert BJP in its testing times, like he did with the Congress?" 

Sarma had on Friday retorted to Gogoi’s claim that the Congress and its allies will win 101 seats if BJP can win 100 seats in Assam though. “They can win that many seats only in Bangladesh,” The North East Democratic Alliance convenor told newspersons in Chirang on Friday.

Sarma along with some of his loyalists had quit the Congress in 2015, just ahead of the 2016 Assam assembly elections to join the BJP. He was instrumental in ensuring the Congress come to power in Assam thrice under Tarun Gogoi. Sarma was a minister in all the three terms.

He is also often stated to have played pivotal role in BJP and its allies’ ascend to power in Assam and the other north eastern states over the past five years.