AS-BILL-HIMANTA

The opposition Congress

on Friday slammed Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma

claiming that he was indulging in communal politics by

dividing Hindus and Muslims in the state.

The Barpeta District Youth Congress also lodged an FIR

against the minister for his alleged "communal statements".

"Sarma is Assam's Jinnah. Himanta Biswa Sarma is

following Pakistan's founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah partitioning

India on the basis of Muslims and Hindus," Congress leader and

former Assam minister Pradyut Bordoloi said at a press

conference here.

Once cabinet colleagues before the finance minister

moved to the BJP from Congress, Bordoloi accused Sarma of

playing communal politics and creating a division between

Hindus and Muslims in Assam.

"BJP wants to implement the Citizenship Amendment Bill

only to create a permanent vote bank," he alleged.

The Congress leader also charged BJP of trying to

divide the Assamese society and both Chief Minister Sarbananda

Sonowal and Himanta are posing a "threat" to the Assamese

people "who will soon be minorities in their own land".

The former power minister claimed that there was an

"undeclared war" between Himanta and Sonowal as "Himanta is

planning to be the chief minister of Assam associating himself

more with BJP chief Amit Shah and PM Narendra Modi".

Meanwhile, a complaint has been filed against Himanta

by the Barpeta District Youth Congress (BDYC) accusing him of

making unconstitutional, communal, false and illegal

statements during a talk show in a local news TV channel on

Wednesday.

The complaint has been lodged by BDYC president

Anuwarul Islam Khan and 21 others of Youth Congress at Mandia

police outpost in Barpeta district of lower Assam on Friday.

PTI CORR ESB

JM JM