"We steal people's hearts, not votes; Rahul should spend time at BJP office to understand this": Assam CM

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of spending more time abroad than in India and taking a dig at his electoral record, saying that while cricketer Sachin Tendulkar scored centuries in cricket, Gandhi had scored a century in losing elections.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of spending more time abroad than in India and taking a dig at his electoral record, saying that while cricketer Sachin Tendulkar scored centuries in cricket, Gandhi had scored a century in losing elections. Speaking about the BJP's political approach and its decisions, including the introduction of Agniveer, the construction of the Ram Mandir and the abrogation of Article 370, Sarma said the party wins people's support through its decisions.

He said, "We steal people's hearts, not votes. The decision to introduce Agniveer, the construction of the Ram Mandir and the abrogation of Article 370. All these decisions won people's hearts. Rahul Gandhi should spend a month at the BJP office to understand how the party wins people's hearts. But he does not even have the time for that. He is always travelling—to Vietnam, Pakistan and Bangkok. So, where would he find the time to learn anything? He spends most of his time abroad." "He spends more time outside the country than within it. And where does he go? When he is abroad, he does not even post Instagram reels! Just the other day, he was making a big fuss, repeatedly demanding a debate. He is quite good at making reels for X and Instagram. So why doesn't he make reels when he is abroad? After all, reels can be made from anywhere, can't they? The truth is that nobody takes Rahul Gandhi seriously. Sachin Tendulkar scored centuries in cricket, whereas Rahul Gandhi has scored a century in losing elections," Sarma said.

Separately, Sarma announced a decision taken by the Assam Cabinet to amend government service rules, making a second marriage or abandoning one's first wife while remaining in government service grounds for dismissal. "The Cabinet granted a major approval yesterday. We already have the Uniform Civil Code, under which entering into a second marriage is a punishable offence. Taking this a step further, we have decided that if any government employee enters into a second marriage or abandons his first wife and lives with another woman, he will be dismissed from service. We amended our service rules yesterday and incorporated this important provision," he added.

Sarma remarks come after Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi renewed his challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an open debate over allegations concerning foreign connections. On Tuesday, Gandhi launched a poll on social media platform X, asking young Indians whether they wanted to see the two leaders engage in a face-to-face discussion.

He also tagged senior BJP leaders, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, urging them to convince the Prime Minister to accept his challenge. Earlier, Gandhi had challenged PM Modi to an open debate on allegations relating to foreign influence, India's financial system and other issues, even suggesting that RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat could act as the moderator. The Congress leader had also alleged that the Prime Minister had become and remained in office with foreign assistance. (ANI)