'Rahul Gandhi is crying': Himanta Biswa Sarma accuses Congress of protecting infiltrators over SIR

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on November 1 launched a sharp attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during a BJP padyatra in Shimla, accusing him of opposing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls to protect infiltrators and questioning his objections to the exercise.

Sarma led the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) 'Loktantra Bachao, Arajakta Hatao' (Save Democracy, Remove Anarchy) march alongside senior party leaders, including Rajiv Bindal, Anurag Thakur and Suresh Kashyap, as part of the party's nationwide counter-campaign against the Opposition's allegations over the electoral roll revision.

Addressing party workers during the march, Sarma claimed that Gandhi was objecting to the SIR process because names of alleged infiltrators had been deleted from electoral rolls.

"Rahul Gandhi is crying because the names of infiltrators have been removed through the SIR process. He is orchestrating all this drama to facilitate the settlement of these infiltrators. However, the people of this country will never allow infiltrators to be included in the electoral rolls," Sarma said.

He went on to make a personal attack on the Congress leader, saying, "He is crazy; he belongs in a mental asylum."

The Assam Chief Minister cited Assam and West Bengal to argue that electoral roll revision was necessary to identify and remove names of alleged infiltrators.

"In states like Bengal and Assam, the issue of infiltrators is acknowledged by everyone, from the Supreme Court to Parliament. If there is no SIR, how can the names of infiltrators be removed?" he said.

Referring to the Mughal rulers Babur and Aurangzeb, Sarma said the exercise was needed to weed out what he described as the 'Babars and Aurangzebs'. He also questioned whether Gandhi's objections to the SIR should extend to elections in Himachal Pradesh, Kerala and even his own constituency of Rae Bareli.

Sarma further accused the Congress of taking contradictory positions on electoral processes depending on which party governed a state.

"Tell the Congress to resign from their own governments first, then come and talk to us. They seem to think their own governments are fine, but wherever the BJP is in power, they claim votes are being 'stolen'. What kind of double standard is this?" he said.

Separately, Sarma targeted Gandhi and other INDIA bloc leaders over their decision to hold a rally in Delhi on November 1, the anniversary of the 1984 anti-Sikh violence.

In a post on X, the Assam Chief Minister said organising a political gathering on the day was insensitive towards the Sikh community.

"You could have held this rally on any other day, but perhaps being insensitive towards Sikhs is in your DNA," Sarma wrote.

He also called on the Opposition leaders to apologise to the Sikh community and observe two minutes of silence in memory of those killed in the violence.

"In the fire of revenge for your grandmother's assassination, more than 3,000 Sikhs were slaughtered under the leadership of your father and his colleagues. Apologise once, and then continue with your programme," he added.

Meanwhile, BJP national president Nitin Nabin led a similar 'Loktantra Bachao, Arajakta Hatao' padyatra in Rohtak, Haryana. In Mumbai, the BJP and its Mahayuti allies also organised a march under the slogan 'Lokshahi Bachao, Anarajakta Hatao' (Save Democracy, Remove Anarchy).

The counter-marches came as INDIA bloc leaders gathered in Delhi for a mega rally at Ramlila Maidan against the SIR exercise and what they alleged was bias on the part of the Election Commission.

Among those participating in the Opposition mobilisation were Rahul Gandhi, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, National Conference MP Farooq Abdullah, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, NCP-SCP MP Supriya Sule, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav.

The competing rallies underscored the escalating political confrontation between the BJP and the Opposition over the revision of electoral rolls and the functioning of the Election Commission.