Himanta Biswa Sarma: Karnataka leaders sabotaged Congress in Lok Sabha polls

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on April 27 pointed fingers at either Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah or Deputy CM DK Shivakumar for allegedly sabotaging the Lok Sabha elections, which he claims will lead to the Congress party's defeat. Sarma made these remarks during a televised interview, where he suggested that issues raised by these Karnataka leaders have harmed the prospects of the Congress party in the ongoing polls.

"I believe, either Mr. Siddaramaiah or DK Shivakumar, any one of them has sabotaged the election and scored a self-goal. Otherwise, why else would they talk about Muslim reservations when the people of Karnataka were already angry due to the Neha murder case, angry with the atmosphere of love jihad, and the Rameshwaram cafe bomb blast?" questioned Sarma.

Sarma, who switched allegiance from the Congress to the BJP in 2015, further criticized the Congress party's response to the murder of Neha Hiremath, alleging that they were casual about the incident and would pay a political price for it.

Issuing a stern warning, Sarma cautioned the Congress against any attempt to implement 'Sharia Law' in the country, asserting that such actions would not be tolerated. "In Indian culture, we work hard not for ourselves but for the coming generations; they have no right to snatch our property," he stated.

Highlighting his efforts to garner support from backward Muslim classes, Sarma stated his decision to conduct a caste census among Muslims, claiming that this initiative has divided the Muslim vote in Assam, with a significant portion now supporting the BJP.