Himanta Biswa’s 2010 tweet goes viral; Cong leader says, ‘Who is he cheating?’

A 2010 tweet of Himanta Biswa Sarma, then a Congressman, has resurfaced and is going viral amid the Assam chief minister’s renewed attack on Rahul Gandhi over the Bharat Jodo Yatra — the 150-day foot march the party has started. On Friday, the Assam chief minister shared a parody video on Rahul Gandhi, taking the attack a notch higher.

Congress leader Manickam Tagore shared the screenshot of the 2010 tweet of Himanta and asked PM Modi whom Himanta Biswa is cheating. “Beware of him. I know you won’t allow him to cheat,” the Congress leader said. In the 2010 tweet, which has not been deleted, Himanta Biswa Sarma wrote, “Rahul Gandhi will b Prime Minister of our country in an appropriate time. Then our AASU will seek his appointment to meet him at new delhi.”

Himanta Biswa Sarma left the Congress in 2015 and led the BJP to victory in Assam in 2016. When he left the party, he put the blame on Rahul Gandhi. He recounted a meeting with Rahul Gandhi where Rahul was allegedly busy playing with his dog Pidi while leaders were waiting for him. Himanta alleged that biscuits were given from the same plate from which the dog was eating.

Himanta Biswa continued his tirade against Rahul Gandhi as early this year he stoked a row after he questioned whether the BJP ever demanded from Rahul Gandhi proof of being the “son of Rajiv Gandhi”. This was in the context of Rahul Gandhi demanding evidence of India’s surgical strike in Pakistan in 2016 and the airstrike in 2019.

The Bharay Jodo Yatra started fresh bickering after Himanta Biswa Sarma said that Congress and Rahul Gandhi should take their foot march to Pakistan and India is already united. Rahul Gandhi should try to integrate Pakistan and Bangladesh with India for the creation of Akhand Bharat, Himanta said. Reacting to this, Congress’s Jairam Ramesh said the Assam chief minister has to say something outrageous every day to prove his loyalty to the BJP as he has remained a Congressman for a long time. Himanta Biswa Sarma reacted to it and said he does not even know who Jairam Ramesh is.