Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday reacted to Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala’s comments after the latter alleged that he wanted to arrest Indian Youth Congress President Srinivas BV. It is unfair to blame me for the lack of a safe environment within the Congress party for female workers, the Assam CM said.
“The Assam police is acting in accordance with the law. They are currently investigating a case filed by a female Congress worker against the accused person under Section 354 of IPC. It is unfair to blame me for the lack of a safe environment within the Congress party for female workers. Please advise the accused to cooperate with the legal process,” Hemanta Biswa Sarma wrote on Twitter.
Surjewala’s comments came after Assam Police arrived in Karnataka following a case registered on the complaint filed by Angkita Dutta, former President of Assam Youth Congress against IYC President Srinivas BV.
Surjewala on Sunday said, “The turncoat CM of Assam who is trying to outbid Amit Shah to his post has now become infamous for this antics to stay in news...We reject this propaganda completely. Sometimes he wants to arrest Pawan Khera, sometimes he wants to arrest BV Srinivas. Perhaps it is to save the ignominity that Mr Modi was trying to arrest him once for Saradha Scam and Louis Berger Scam. That is why he defected to BJP. Reject him, don't pay any attention to him.”
After the expulsion of Assam Pradesh Youth Congress (APYC) President Angkita Dutta from the primary membership of the party for six years, support poured in from a few Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members, including state Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Sarma slammed the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) for poor handling of the issues raised by Angkita Dutta. Himanta Sarma, a long-time cabinet colleague of Angkita Dutta’s father Anjan Dutta during the Tarun Gogoi-led Congress government in Assam said, “I have been repeatedly saying that Angkita Dutta is Assam’s daughter.
The way the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee has tackled the entire issue is very unfortunate. The Congress party has assumed that whatever Angkita Dutta said is wrong and the National Youth Congress President is on the right path.”
Earlier, the APYC President had accused Srinivas BV, the National President of the Youth Congress, of harassment. On Thursday, Dutta had also filed a police complaint against the National Youth Congress leader Srinivas BV at the Dispur Police Station in Assam’s Guwahati, for allegedly harassing her over her gender for almost six months.
In her written complaint lodged before the police, Dutta accused Srinivas of persistently harassing her for the past six months, not just by making sexist comments, but using slang words and also threatening her of dire consequences if she kept complaining against him before the high office bearers of the Congress Party about his ill-treatment, misbehavior.
Dutta also requested the Assam Police to take immediate action against Srinivas. Angkita, in a series of tweets, referred to Srinivas as “sexist” and “chauvinistic. “I am a woman leader. If I undergo such harassment, how I am supposed to encourage other women to join," she tweeted. Angkita had also accused senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of not initiating action against Srinivas despite being apprised of the matter several months ago. The Congress however dismissed the charges saying they were politically motivated.