The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) has suspended two of its senior members for allegedly taking part in a BJP-led Assam government-sponsored event recently.
The members who have been suspended are the state’s Goalpara district’s Matia block president Aynul Hoque Choudhury and Goalpara district Mahila Congress president Afruza Begum. According to the APCC leadership, the duo took part in the Assam government-sponsored political programme 'Amrit Kalash Yatra', which was held in the district earlier this month.
“As per news aired by the electronic media by Goalpara East MLA AK Rasheed Alam, Matia block Congress President under Goalpara DCC Aynul Hoque Choudhury and Goalpara district Mahila Congress President Afruza Begum took part in the BJP Government sponsored political program “Amrit Kalash Yatra,” the suspension order issued by the APCC on Tuesday read.
“At a time when the Assam Chief Minister has publicly called for burning 10 Janpath, the residence of Sonia Gandhi, MP and former President of All India Congress Committee (AICC), the way Lanka was burnt, has questioned the DNA of our leader Rahul Gandhi, former AICC President, and at a time when the BJP has circulated a highly objectionable picture calling Rahul Gandhi as the avatar of Ravan, has also used all kinds of dirty tricks to remove him from the Lok Sabha and evict him from his government accommodation, inflicted immense miseries on honest Congress leaders and their families, particularly the state President,” the suspension order added.
“By taking part in this government-sponsored PR programme, you both have caused huge damage to the party and disillusioned lakhs of party workers. Therefore, as directed by President APCC Bhupen Kumar Borah, Matia BCC President Aynul Hoque Choudhury and Goalpara district Mahila Congress President Afruza Begum are suspended from the Congress party with immediate effect,” the order further read.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma during the Jan Ashirwad rally in Madhya Pradesh’s Vidisha district on September 18 this year, had allegedly suggested that 10 Janpath should be burnt the way Lanka was burnt.
Assam Congress MLA and Leader of Opposition in the Assam Assembly Debabrata Saikia, and Assam Pradesh Mahila Congress (APMC) President Mira Borthakur, later lodged two separate complaints against Chief Minister Sarma over “hate speech” at the Nazira model police station in Sivasagar district and Guwahati’s Dispur police station respectively.
The BJP's social media had also shared a poster on X, formerly Twitter, earlier this month, portraying Rahul Gandhi as a “new age Ravan.”