Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday took a swipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is currently leading Bharat Jodo Yatra in Maharashtra, over his absence from the election campaign in Gujarat. Sarma said Rahul Gandhi has a "habit" that he has been observing for days. (Also Read | Rahul Gandhi unfit for politics, says Himanta Biswa Sarma; 'One moment he's listening...')
“If there's a cricket match in Guwahati, he will be in Gujarat. He will carry a bat and pad in Gujarat too, he will keep getting ready but won't come to the field,” the chief minister said.
He also slammed the Congress leader's remarks targeting late Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. On Thursday, Rahul Gandhi produced a letter that Savarkar had written to the British during his jail term at the Cellular jail at Andaman seeking clemency and saying that he would remain their “obedient servant.”
Sarma said that Gandhi has “very less historical knowledge” and someone else must have "read out history for him".
“All I can say about Rahul Gandhi's comment on Veer Savarkar is that he has very less historical knowledge. Maybe someone read out history for him & he didn't read it on his own. He committed a grave sin by insulting Savarkar. I think he'll have to pay for it politically,” he said.
On the fight against Congress and Aam Aadmi Party – AAP is contesting for the first time in the Gujarat assembly election – Sarma said that the two opposition parties are contesting for the second and third positions.
{{/usCountry}}On the fight against Congress and Aam Aadmi Party – AAP is contesting for the first time in the Gujarat assembly election – Sarma said that the two opposition parties are contesting for the second and third positions.
{{/usCountry}}“AAP and Congress will be there in the second and third positions. BJP is where it should be. We don't have a contest. AAP and Congress have a contest for the second and third positions,” he added.
Sarma was in Gujarat to campaign for the party in the run-up to the assembly elections.
The state of Gujarat which has 182 assembly constituencies will go for polling in two phases on December 1 and 5. The counting of votes will occur on December 8, which coincides with Himachal Pradesh's result date.
The state has been a BJP stronghold for a long time and the party has set its sights on returning to power for the seventh term. This time, the party is aiming at getting its highest seat tally exceeding 140.