The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) has served a showcause notice to Asif Mohammad Nazar, its MLA from Laharighat constituency, for praising Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Nazar praised Chief Minister Sarma, saying the latter is a very "hard-working man" and is "capable of working round the clock". He went on to say that had CM Sarma been in the Congress today, the grand old party would have been farther than others in the political arena of the state. Nazar also boasted that he shared a good relation with Sarma but they have ideological differences.
Speaking to ABP Live, APCC working president Rana Goswami said, “We have served a showcause notice to MLA Asif Mohammad Nazar for praising Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. We have given him 24 hours to reply. Once he comes up with a clarification on the matter, we will decide our next course of action.”
Assam Congress President Bhupen Kumar Borah said: "Whoever he or she may be. We at Assam PCC will not tolerate any indiscipline. Strict disciplinary action will be taken for the greater interest of our organisation."
Repeated calls by ABP Live to the MLA from Laharighat in Morigaon for his comments on the development went unanswered.
Asif Mohammad Nazar was elected as an MLA from the Laharighat assembly constituency in 2021 on a Congress ticket. Before stepping into politics, Nazar was a physician in his hometown, Morigaon.
Nazar completed his MBBS from Al-Ameen Medical College in Bijapur, Karnataka. He completed his post-graduation from Vydehi Institute of Medical Sciences & Research Centre.
Nazar's father Nazrul Islam is a five-time MLA from the Laharighat constituency. Islam contested on a Congress ticket and won the Laharighat seat five times in a row from 1996 to 2021. Islam was also a minister in the Tarun Gogoi-led Congress government from 2002 to 2016.