TMC protests outside Guwahati hotel where rebel Sena MLAs staying

Guwahati: The opposition Trinamool Congress in Assam on Thursday held a massive protest outside the luxury hotel in Guwahati where dissident Shiv Sena MLAs from Maharashtra are camping.

TMC state president Ripun Bora said when Assam is reeling under one of the worst floods ever, the BJP is engaged in "horse-trading" and trying to topple a democratically elected government.

"Today, the Assam CM is trying to dismantle the democratically elected Maharashtra government. Himanta Biswa Sarma has made Assam a market for MLA trading. This horse-trading must stop," he said.

"People are living on roads and embankments. They are not getting even drinking water. See what is happening in Cachar and Barak valley. Does the CM have no responsibility other than buying MLAs under the direction of the prime minister?" he alleged.

He claimed that a similar "horse-trading" will happen against Sarma and he will have to face the music one day.

The TMC workers raised slogans like 'Shiv Sena Go Back' and 'Save Democracy' as they jostled with the security forces outside the Radisson Blu hotel on NH-37 in Gotanagar area of the city.

Police, assisted by paramilitary force, dragged the agitators and bundled them into buses. They were detained for some hours, a senior officer said.

The rebel Shiv Seng MLAs and some Independent legislators of Maharashtra, led by Eknath Shinde, are camping some 2,700 km away in Assam since Wednesday morning, threatening the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in their home state, leading to a political crisis.