Raijor Dal, an eight-month-old regional political party, has slammed Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for “disrespectful remarks” on its president Akhil Gogoi’s mental health.
The Chief Minister during his address in the State Assembly on Monday cited doctors as saying Mr. Gogoi had psychological issues. He also said that if the Raijor Dal president was healthy enough to have come to the Assembly (to take oath as the MLA representing Sibsagar constituency), he should ideally be in jail and not in the hospital.
Mr. Gogoi, one of the most vocal anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act activists in Assam was imprisoned in December 2019 on charges of sedition and inciting violence leading to deaths. But he has been in a paid cabin of the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital for the past four months.
A special court of the National Investigation Agency had granted him permission for the oath-taking ceremony .
“His remark suggesting Akhil Gogoi is mentally unstable is unbecoming of a Chief Minister, who also resorted to lies to prevent our president from attending the inaugural session of the Assembly,” Raijor Dal working president Bhasco de Saikia said.
Apart from referring to Mr. Gogoi’s mental health, the Chief Minister said the jailed leader did not adhere to COVID-19 protocols and mingled with the other MLAs. “At one point in time, I wondered if he had come to the Assembly just to spread the virus,” Mr. Sarma said Monday.
On Monday night, the police in Sivasagar district picked up four leaders of Raijor Dal and organisations associated with it. The organisations are Chhatra Mukti Sangram Samiti, Asom Yuba Chhatra Sanmilan and Lachit Sena.
Reports said the district police have not yet disclosed the reason behind their detention.
Published - May 25, 2021 11:09 am IST
