Guwahati, July 1 A day after a plastic water bottle was hurled at Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s convoy during his visit to Golaghat, police on Tuesday detained six individuals, including Congress workers, sparking a political clash between the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress.
Among those detained are Pallab Chetia, secretary of the Golaghat District Congress Committee, and Rahul Phukan, son of a former Block Congress Secretary.
Both are reportedly associates of Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Gaurav Gogoi.
Golaghat MLA Biswajit Phukan (BJP) linked the act to the Congress’s "politics of disruption," citing historical references like the Emergency and the 1983 elections.
"The Chief Minister came with a development agenda, but Congress cannot tolerate his popularity," he said.
The incident, captured on video, shows the bottle being thrown at the convoy, though no injuries or damage were reported.
Assam Power Minister Prasanta Phukan called it a "serious security breach" and demanded a security review, alleging an "attempt on the Chief Minister’s life."
The BJP also staged protests in Dibrugarh, condemning the act. The Congress, however, dismissed the allegations as politically motivated.
Congress spokesperson Rituporno Konwar claimed four Youth Congress members were "illegally detained" an hour before the incident during a separate protest against cattle theft.
"If they weren’t present, how could they have thrown the bottle? This is a tactic to suppress dissent," he said.
Sarma downplayed the incident with sarcasm, but the opposition accused the BJP of exaggerating the event to target Congress workers. The case has intensified scrutiny over security lapses and political vendettas in Assam.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Bhupen Borah has condemned the incident of attack on Himanta Biswa Sarma and said, “It is very unfortunate that someone threw a bottle on his convoy. The act is condemnable. Congress believes in democratic agitation and protest.”
Dhubri Congress MP Rakibul Hussain said, “I was also attacked by a few miscreants on the road; however, at that time, the Chief Minister took a potshot at me.”
--IANS
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