Himanta Biswa Sarma, the chief minister of Assam, criticised Arvind Kejriwal, the leader of the AAP, for his remarks made at a rally in Guwahati, labelling him a “coward” whose “heroism” is limited to the assembly.
Sarma criticised Kejriwal for failing to mention in his address the corruption claims the BJP leader had allegedly levelled against him in the Delhi Assembly.
If Kejriwal makes accusations of corruption against him outside of the assembly, the Assam chief minister has vowed to sue him for defamation.
What was said by the Assam CM?
“He accused me of corruption in the Delhi Assembly, but I am powerless to do anything about it because he is protected by laws. He had been challenged by me to make the same claims outside the House or else I would take him to court.
Yet he lacked the confidence to speak up in this situation. At a press conference on Sunday, Sarma stated, “He spoke a lot about anab-shanab (fluff), but nothing about charges against me.
According to Sarma, “Kejriwal’s heroism is contained within the assembly as he is shielded there by privilege.”
Kejriwal and Sarma’s dispute
Sarma disputed Kejriwal’s claims that the Delhi government provides jobs at the Guwahati gathering, where Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann was also present, and asserted that 60% of residents in the capital are “living in hell.”
I will write to Kejriwal tomorrow to provide the breakdown of the jobs and I will also share the specifics of employment provided by our administration, he added. “I spoke to officials in Delhi. They told me that there are 1.50 lakh government-sanctioned posts under Delhi government.
In addition, Sarma disputed Kejriwal’s claim that Assam will receive free electricity under an AAP government, noting that the northeastern state already has the “Orunudoi” programme, which credits economically disadvantaged families’ bank accounts with Rs 1,400 each month.
It would have been less expensive for us to merely waive the electricity charge, he claimed.
In response to Kejriwal’s criticism of the recent question paper leak in Assam, Sarma asserted that the Class 12 English exam in Punjab, which is also run by the AAP, was also compromised by a leak of the paper, and that it was therefore cancelled.
“I will send 50 people from Assam, mostly journalists, and Kejriwal has to take them around Delhi,” Sarma said in response to his Delhi counterpart’s invitation to visit his home in the nation’s capital. “The only condition is that they have to be taken to the places we want to visit, not what he wants us to show.”
In contrast to Assam, where 95% of the population lives in heaven, 60% of Delhi’s residents, according to him, reside in hell.
Sarma added that following Sunday’s demonstration, the AAP leader’s influence has “diminished.”
The BJP spokesman continued, “If he intended to speak so many lies, he could have at least assured a bigger crowd of 20,000-30,000.”
In an earlier statement on Sunday, Kejriwal pledged free energy and jobs for Assam residents should the AAP win power, while accusing the BJP-led government of doing nothing but engaging in “dirty politics” in the region.
“In Delhi, the AAP took office in 2015, and the BJP did so in 2016.” We have altered Delhi’s appearance as of right now. What has Assam’s chief executive, Himanta Biswa Sarma, accomplished for the state in those seven years? Nothing but dishonest politics, he claimed.