India

Kejriwal A Coward, His Heroism Confined Within Assembly: Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has slammed his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal over his comments during a rally in Guwahati, calling the AAP chief a “coward” whose “heroism” is confined within the assembly.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s Criticism

Sarma criticized Kejriwal for not making any reference in his speech to allegations of corruption against the BJP leader, which he had reportedly made in the Delhi Assembly.

“He had made charges of corruption against me in the Delhi Assembly, but I cannot act on it as he is protected by regulations. I had challenged him to repeat the same allegations outside the House and then I will see him in court.

“But, he didn’t have the courage to say anything here. He spoke a lot of ‘anab-shanab’ (rubbish), but nothing on charges against me,” Sarma said at a presser on Sunday.

The Assam CM had on Friday threatened to file a defamation case against Kejriwal if the Aam Aadmi Party leader alleged corruption cases against him outside the assembly.

“The heroism of Kejriwal is confined within the assembly as he is protected by privilege there,” Sarma said.

On Kejriwal’s claims at the Guwahati rally, where Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann was also present, about jobs provided by the Delhi government, Sarma said the figures were wrong and 60 per cent of citizens in the national capital were “living in hell”.

Also read: Rahul Gandhi To Appear In Surat Court Today In Defamation Case Over His ‘Modi Surname’ Remarks

Assam CM Statements

“I spoke to officials in Delhi. They told me that there are 1.50 lakh government-sanctioned posts under the Delhi government. I will write to Kejriwal tomorrow to provide the break-up of the jobs, and I will also share the details of employment provided by our government,” he said.

Sarma also downplayed Kejriwal’s promise of free electricity if AAP came to power in Assam, asserting that the northeastern state has the ‘Orunudoi’ scheme under which the government credits Rs 1,400 per month in the bank accounts of economically backward families.

“Waiving only the electricity bill would have been cheaper for us,” he said. Reacting to Kejriwal’s critical comments on the recent question paper leak in Assam, Sarma claimed that the Class 12 English paper in Punjab, which also has an AAP government, had leaked and the examination was cancelled.

On his Delhi counterpart’s invitation to visit his house in the national capital, Sarma said, “I will send 50 people from Assam, mostly journalists, and Kejriwal has to take them around Delhi. The only condition is that they have to be taken to the places we want to visit, not what he wants us to show.”

“60 per cent of people of Delhi live in hell. In contrast, 95 per cent of Assam live in heaven,” he claimed. Sarma also said the AAP leader’s stature has “diminished” after Sunday’s rally.
“If he wanted to say so many lies, he should have at least ensured a bigger crowd of 20,000-30,000,” the BJP leader added.

Earlier on Sunday, Kejriwal promised free electricity and jobs if AAP came to power in Assam, while he accused the ruling BJP of doing nothing but play “dirty politics” in the state.

“AAP came to power in Delhi in 2015 and the BJP here in 2016. Today, we have changed the face of Delhi. What has Himanta babu (Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma) done for the state in seven years? Nothing, only dirty politics,” he alleged.

 

Shruti Chaturvedi

Recent Posts

JP Nadda Slams Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Match-Fixing’ Claims As ‘Desperation Of Losing’ Polls

Rahul Gandhi's opinion piece appeared in a national daily and sparked political uproar. Opposition parties…

12 hours ago

Poverty In India Reduced Via Tangible Boost In Household Living Standards, Incomes

In 2022–23, poverty under the revised $3.00 line stood at just 5.25 per cent in…

13 hours ago

Chhattisgarh: Seven Maoists Killed In Indravati National Park Operation

Five Maoists were killed in two separate encounters with security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district,…

13 hours ago

Carney Invites Modi To G7 Summit, Highlights India’s Global Supply Chain Role

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said the most populous country, with the fifth-largest economy, must…

13 hours ago

RBI Frontloads Rate Cuts To Boost Growth Amid Low Inflation: Crisil

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has frontloaded its rate cuts to support economic growth,…

14 hours ago

PM Modi Urges Global Action On Coastal Resilience At Nice Summit

PM Narendra Modi on Saturday called for urgent global action to build infrastructure that can…

14 hours ago