CM Himanta slams Cong for questioning BJP candidate’s citizenship

Palonghat (Assam): Hitting out at the Congress for questioning the legitimacy of the citizenship of a BJP by-poll candidate in Assam, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday claimed that questions can also be raised on the nationality of the opposition party’s top leader Sonia Gandhi. The Congress in its campaigning for Dholai constituency has cast doubts about the citiznship of BJP candidate Nihar Ranjan Das.

Addressing a rally here while campaigning for Das, Sarma said, “If you (Congress) call Nihar Ranjan ‘Bangladeshi’, I will also call Sonia Gandhi ‘Italian’. If you think I am afraid of Sonia Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi, let me tell you I am not.”

Sarma maintained that Bengali Hindu residents of present Barak Valley of Assam were dwellers of what is now Bangladesh as it was the same country prior to Partition.

He blamed the Congress for creating the problems for Bengali-Hindus of Barak Valley, who had to move to present-day Assam following Partition of the country due to atrocities on religious minorities there.