Assam Assembly panel to probe if AIUDF MLAs visited CM home at 6 am

Assam Assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary on Friday decided to set up a House committee to enquire whether five MLAs of the opposition AIUDF visited the chief minister's residence early on Friday, hours after the results of the two Rajya Sabha seats were announced.

The Speaker made the decision after accepting Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's request in this regard following Congress spokesperson Manjit Mahanta's allegation that five legislators of the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) entered the CM's residence at 6 am and stayed there till around 8.30 am.

The RS poll was held on Thursday but the results were announced early on Friday as the counting of votes got delayed following the demand of the opposition Congress to cancel the votes of five MLAs, including three of the ruling BJP, for allegedly violating rules.

Two ruling NDA candidates -- BJP's Pabitra Margherita and Rwngra Narzary of UPPL – were elected to the Rajya Sabha from Assam, while Congress nominee and outgoing MP Ripun Bora lost due to cross-voting by opposition members.

Bringing a privilege motion against the Congress, AIUDF member Aminul Islam, who is one of the five MLAs named in Mahanta's statement, said the legislators of his party and also the chief minister were insulted by the allegation.

''In fact, I have never visited the chief minister's residence,'' Islam said. Replying to the motion, Sarma too rejected the claim but urged the Speaker to set up a committee ''to establish the truth as my image has been tarnished''.

Sarma said security forces are there to monitor the movement of people coming to his residence. Congress MLA Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha asked whether MLAs can visit the CM's residence at 6 am if they have a problem or anything to discuss.

To this, Sarma said usually one does not visit anybody's house so early in the morning, and to visit the chief minister's residence, one has to take a prior appointment. ''The photograph of the MLAs posted by the Congress spokesperson on social media is that of my office when an AIUDF delegation had called on me to submit a memorandum following the eviction drive at Gorukhuti,'' Sarma said. The eviction drive was carried out in November last year.

''Politics is a different matter but to involve me in this manner is not acceptable. I don't even know some of the MLAs and have never spoken to them. I do not have any or want to establish any relationship with the AIUDF,'' the chief minister said.

AIUDF MLAs also demanded that CCTV footage of the hours mentioned by the Congress spokesperson be made public. Accepting the CM's proposal, the Speaker decided to set up a House committee.