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Himanta Biswa Sarma slammed for blaming ‘religion’ in northeast election losses
The BJP and allies suffered setbacks in Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram, where Congress and regional parties made inroads.
Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi on Thursday condemned Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's statement blaming a “particular religion” for BJP's electoral setbacks in three northeastern states of Nagaland, Manipur, and Meghalaya. Gogoi appealed to the chief ministers of these three states to publicly condemn Sarma's remarks saying the Assam CM does not have the “maturity to accept the responsibility for the losses.”
“I condemn the irresponsible and reckless statement of the Chief Minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma. He does not have the maturity to accept the responsibility for the losses of the NDA in Nagaland, Meghalaya and Manipur,” Gogoi posted on X.
“I appeal to the Chief Ministers of the respective states to publicly condemn the statement. Together we must preserve the unique identity of the Northeast.”
Read: Assam: BJP MLA congratulates Gaurav Gogoi; Himanta says he could join Congress
The BJP and allies suffered upsets in Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram, where Congress and regional parties made inroads. Nagaland and Meghalaya are predominantly Christian, while Manipur also has a significant Christian population. Meghalaya saw wins for the Voice of People Party and Congress.
In Nagaland’s lone Lok Sabha seat, Congress candidate, S Supongmeren Jamir defeated Chumben Murry, the candidate from the ruling Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) by over 50,000 votes.
When asked about the setbacks, Sarma, without naming the religion, said, "A particular religion openly went against our government in those states, and that religion has tremendous followers in those states. So that has made a difference. It is not a political defeat, because nobody can fight with a religion."
Read: Delimitation of development blocks ahead of panchayat polls in Nov: Assam CM
Drawing a parallel to a hypothetical scenario involving Hindu religious leaders, he added, “If tomorrow, all the Shankaracharyas sit, and say that Himanta must lose, how can I fight with all the four Shankaracharyas?”
"Usually they do not interfere in politics. But this time, for whatever reason, they interfered in politics, including Assam where we couldn't get votes of that particular religion," Sarma added.
