Amit Shah

Assam, where conflicts are not new, has been in the limelight of national politics for the past few days. Assam, a key state in the North-East, which has been in the news for its insurgent politics, is now witnessing a war of words between Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Trouble started between the two since Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra left Manipur and entered Assam. The game changed when a case was registered against Rahul for allegedly provoking the workers. When Rahul said that Himanta should not think that he can be intimidated by filing a case, Himanta retorted that he would be arrested after the Lok Sabha elections. Himanta, who left the Congress years ago after fighting with Rahul, is today the face of the BJP in the North-East, and is the two opening up again?

∙ Case, war of words: Rahul V/S Himanta

As the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra led by Rahul entered Assam, the state government is on the front foot with cases and legal proceedings. The case alleged that the journey had been diverted from the approved routes and created tension. Rahul reiterated in his speeches that Assam is ruled by the most corrupt Chief Minister the country has ever seen. But Himanta’s response is that the Gandhi family is not only corrupt but fake. While the war of words was going on, BJP workers came forward with violence against Rahul’s journey.

Read more: Let BJP take any number of cases, no fear: Rahul Gandhi

Rahul came directly in front of the BJP workers who came to stop him at Jamugurihat in Sonitpur district. When the Congress workers also rallied against the BJP workers who came with the protest, seeing the tension intensifying, Rahul ordered the bus driver to stop and got off. Rahul spoke to the students from the top of the bus in front of the university after the government canceled the debate with the students of the USTM University on the Assam-Meghalaya border.

Rahul Gandhi during Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Guwahati. (PTI Photo)

Guwahati police registered the case while Rahul’s journey continued in Assam. “I don’t know where Himanta got the idea to take the case and scare me. Take as many cases against me as you can.” Rahul responded to this. The Assam Chief Minister’s response is that even if a case is registered, the arrest will not be immediate. “If there is any action now, it will be interpreted as a political move. Therefore, a special investigation team will investigate the incidents and arrests will be made after the Lok Sabha elections,” said Himanta.

∙ Congress loyalist then, BJP today

Himanta is a leader who split the Congress and joined the BJP before the 2016 Assam assembly elections. Himanta has a history of taking the helm to form a BJP government in a northeastern state for the first time in history. The Congressman who once stood in the ‘shadow’ of Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi is now the face of the BJP in the Northeast. In the last seven years, it was Himana who pulled the strings in making the entire northeastern states Congress free.

Himanta Biswa Sharma (Photo: PTI)

Himanta is the convener of the North East Democratic Alliance, an alliance of the BJP and its allies. Apart from Assam, Tripura, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh states were also brought under BJP rule by his moves. BJP is part of the government in Nagaland and Meghalaya. 33 out of the 43 MLAs of the People’s Party in Arunachal Pradesh made a move to join the BJP overnight.

Himanta Biswa Sharma (PTI Photo)

Himanta was just below the then Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who was camping in Imphal when he defeated the Congress and brought the BJP to power for the first time in Manipur. Even when the Biren Singh government was in minority for two terms, Himanta was brilliant in carrying out reconciliation talks. Himanta, who managed the finance and health departments for 8 years in Tarun Gogoi’s Congress government in Assam, joined the BJP in 2015 with his followers leading a revolt against Gogoi. His tactics played a major role in bringing the Congress to power in Assam with 79 seats in 2011.

Hand in Hand Yatra: Rahul Gandhi greets people waiting on the road on the first night of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Thoubal, Manipur. Photo: AICC

After the 2014 elections, Himanta realized that nothing would happen in the Congress if he stood under Gogoi’s shadow. Himanta approached the high command with a series of complaints against Gogoi, but Rahul did not listen. Himanta later said in an interview that when he raised the burning issues in the state Congress, Rahul was careful to give biscuits to the pet dog. There are also allegations that there were many corruption cases against Himanta and all of them disappeared when he joined the BJP.

∙ Lightning fast CM

Himanta, the president of the All India Badminton Association, knows exactly when to smash and when to drop. It is that knowledge that has made him a front-runner of the BJP in the Northeast today. It can be thought that it will be a smash and will be directed at Rahul.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Himanta Biswa Sharma

Himanta, who held key portfolios as the second-in-command in the first BJP cabinet led by Sarbananda Sonowal in Assam, became the chief minister in 2021 when the BJP came to power for the second time. Himanta, a member of the Assamese Brahmin community, became a pillar of the BJP in Assam and the North Eastern states with lightning speed. He became the savior whenever the party faced crisis in Manipur and Tripura. When the agitation against the Citizenship Amendment Act broke out in Assam, he played a major role in bringing the BJP’s position to the people. In the 2021 election, Himanta won from Jalukbari for the fifth time by more than one lakh votes.

When Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra led by Rahul Gandhi entered Assam.

Although the victory was an endorsement for the government of Sarbananda Sonowal, a relatively reticent naturalist, he too became irrelevant in the face of Himanta’s popularity. Sarbananda from the Sonawal Kachari tribe of Assam was a favorite of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But it was not difficult for Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP strategists to realize that Himanta has the ability to buy votes. Thus, on May 10, 2021, Himanta became the 15th Chief Minister of Assam.

By knowing the minds of Modi and Amit Shah and implementing strategies, he became a favorite of the central leadership. In the move to split the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra and merge the Eknath Shinde faction with the BJP, it was Himanta who provided the hideout for the dissident MLAs in Maharashtra. The MLAs who initially went to Gujarat were dramatically brought to Assam. BJP’s faith in Himanta had reached that level in a few years. Himanta is strengthening his loyalty to the BJP by fighting against Rahul today.

2024-01-24 17:30:54
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