Addressing a gathering in Lakhimpur, Assam, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said that the northeastern state will not be run from Delhi, but from the state itself. "We say that Assam will not be run from Delhi, it will be run from here. Your (Assam) CM is the most corrupt in the country. He can teach other BJP Chief Ministers to do corruption," he can be heard saying in a video posted by news agency ANI.
He further said: "Your Chief Minister blindly follows whatever Prime Minister Narendra Modi asks him. BJP, RSS say Hindustan should be run from Delhi, with one language, and one leader".
"Prime Minister hasn't been to Manipur, he actually cannot, because if he does, the truth of the state will be revealed to the world," explaining why the 'yatra' has commenced from Manipur, Gandhi said: "For the time a state in the country is on fire for months, wherever I am going, people are only telling me one thing that no matter whatever they (people of Assam) do in Assam they end of remaining unemployed".
Previously, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma engaged in a war of words as Gandhi accused Sarma of being the "most corrupt CM," prompting a retort where Sarma labeled the Gandhi family as the "most corrupt" in the country. Speaking at a BJP function, Sarma alleged that the Gandhi family carried a "duplicate" name and was involved in corruption cases, including the Bofors fraud and aiding Warren M Anderson in fleeing the Bhopal Gas Tragedy charges.
The exchange intensified as Sarma responded to Rahul Gandhi's allegations about corruption in the Assam administration. In a separate context, Sarma commented on the ongoing 'Miya Yatra,' dismissing it as a 'Nyay Yatra,' and stating that it would lack women participants, primarily involving men from the Miya community. The term "Miya" has been used historically in Assam and has evolved from a pejorative term to a symbol of resistance against discrimination.
Gandhi, for his part, criticised the BJP, expressing concern about a civil war-like atmosphere in Manipur, unfulfilled promises in Nagaland, and accusing Assam of having the "most corrupt Chief Minister" in India. Sarma responded by downplaying the significance of the Yatra and forecasting a gradual decline in participation.
Sarma also revealed restrictions on the march's route through Guwahati, citing the presence of medical institutes and hospitals. He stated that if an alternative route was requested, permission would be granted, and he warned of the consequences if Congress proceeded without it.
The 'Miya Yatra,' which commenced on January 14 in Manipur, is scheduled to continue till March 20, concluding in Mumbai.