‘Rahu, Borali’ to Barak Secretariat: Four Congress MLAs felicitate Himanta Biswa Sarma

Four Congress MLAs from the Barak Valley met Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma at the Barak Secretariat and felicitated him, an interaction that comes days after the Chief Minister claimed that he still had people within the Congress camp.

The Congress legislators — Zubair Anam, Jakaria Ahmed, Aminur Rashid Choudhury and Aminul Haque Laskar — met Sarma at the Assam Secretariat in the Barak Valley on Tuesday and felicitated the Chief Minister.

The meeting has drawn attention in the backdrop of Sarma's recent remarks targeting Congress leaders during campaigning for the Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll.

On September 28, while campaigning for BJP-led NDA candidate Debashish Sharma at Laharighat, Sarma took a swipe at Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi, claiming that some of his supporters were still within the Congress.

Using a fishing analogy, the Chief Minister said Gogoi had "kept" his people in the Congress and claimed that he could reach out to them whenever he wanted.

“Gaurav Gogoi has kept my people in Congress. Whenever I need them, I fish them out. Whenever I feel like eating Rahu or Borali, I fish them,” Sarma said, referring to two varieties of fish popular in Assam.

The Chief Minister also targeted Laharighat Congress MLA Asif Nazar, alleging that the legislator remained asleep until late morning and questioned his contribution to the constituency. Sarma referred to Nazar as a “venture MLA”.

Sarma also alleged that Congress leader Rakibul Hussain was cornering government schemes meant for people in Nagaon.

“Whatever government schemes come for the people of Nagaon, Rakibul Hussain takes them away because Rakibul Hussain is powerful,” he had said.

The meeting between the four Congress MLAs and Sarma has therefore attracted political attention, particularly given the Chief Minister's repeated assertions that he has contacts within the opposition Congress.

However, the felicitation itself does not necessarily indicate any political shift. It is not unusual for legislators, including those from opposition parties, to meet or felicitate the chief minister of their state during official visits or public programmes.

There was no immediate indication from the four MLAs that their meeting with Sarma represented any change in their political affiliation or their relationship with the Congress.