GUWAHATI, April 21: The Assam Congress on Monday lashed out at Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over his controversial comment suggesting the Congress party should replace its election symbol from ‘hand’ with ‘lungi’. Sarma’s remarks, made during a rally in Silapathar, Dhemaji, have sparked widespread criticism for allegedly targeting specific communities and lowering the level of political discourse.

Reacting sharply, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Bhupen Kumar Borah condemned the Chief Minister’s remarks as disrespectful and divisive. “The chair he sits on today was once graced by Bharat Ratna Gopinath Bordoloi. Would Bordoloi have ever spoken in such a way?” Borah questioned. He reminded Sarma of his political roots, saying, “The Congress party taught him the A, B, C, D of politics. He became an MLA from Jalukbari on a Congress ticket. He took his oath as minister representing the same party.”

Borah didn’t stop there. Recalling Sarma’s past comments, he said, “Let us not forget, this is the same man who once said that Muslim blood flows through the water pipes of Gujarat and that a rickshaw puller should slap Narendra Modi. No Congress leader ever made such vulgar remarks.”

In a personal rebuke, Borah said the people of Assam now understand Sarma’s “real agenda” and accused him of doing anything necessary to cling to power. “For us, lungi, dhoti, pyjama, or trousers — they are all part of everyday life. I wear dhoti to the temple, lungi at home, pyjama at political meetings, and trousers when I travel. These are not political statements, they are cultural norms,” he said.

Turning the tables on the BJP, Borah questioned its choice of the lotus as an election symbol. “If BJP thinks it can define what our symbol should be, then we ask — why the lotus? If you’re honest about your origins, then the gun Nathuram Godse used to assassinate Mahatma Gandhi should be your real symbol,” Borah declared.

“The politics of BJP and RSS began with the bullet that killed the Father of the Nation. So, Himanta Biswa Sarma should talk to his central leaders and request them to replace the lotus with a gun,” he added, escalating the political war of words.

Sarma’s original remarks — dismissing the Congress era as one of lungi and tupi distribution and calling for a change in party symbol — have stirred a strong reaction both politically and publicly. While BJP supporters defend it as satire against weak governance, critics see it as communal, insensitive, and unbecoming of a Chief Minister.

With panchayat elections underway and general elections around the corner, the sharp exchange signals an intensifying political battle in Assam, where identity, legacy, and development continue to be potent themes on the campaign trail.

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