‘Modi ka chela’: Mallikarjun Kharge draws ‘cat’ analogy to attack Himanta Biswa Sarma

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge launched a savage attack against Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday, saying the party’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra came under attack in the state because the latter is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘chela’ (disciple).

Referring to Sarma’s long association with the Congress before he joined the BJP, Kharge said “our own cat is now meowing at us”.

The bitter comments came after Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh claimed stones were thrown at his convoy in Assam.

Addressing a rally in Assam’s Nagaon, Kharge said Himanta Biswa Sarma was trying to win the next elections by scaring people.

“Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra will cross 15 states…The Yatra before this was undertaken from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. At that time, no stone pelting occurred anywhere. No attempts were made to scare off…Why is this happening in Assam? Because he (Assam CM) is the ‘chela’ of PM Modi. He listens to what Shah says. He scares the Dalits, minorities and backward class of the country. By scaring people, he is working on the next election,” he said.

He said the attack on the convoy stems from the BJP’s nervousness.

“Rahul Gandhi’s Yatra is going on so well. Seeing this, the BJP people are nervous. So, they attacked our PCC president. But he is not someone who would get scared. He is a soldier of the Congress. Congress is not going to be scared of anyone…This is like ‘meri billi mujhse hi myaoon’. The cat that we once had with us is now meowing at us. We have seen several such people…We will never be scared, this is Congress’ promise,” he said.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that his vehicle was attacked at Jumugurihat in Sunitpur by “an unruly BJP crowd”.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday alleged the Assam government has warned the masses against joining the party’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.

“They (government) think they can threaten the people and suppress them. But, they are not realising this is not Rahul Gandhi’s yatra. It is a yatra for the voice of the people,” he said.

Gandhi also said that Sarma and his family are the most corrupt in the country.

“Everyone knows that the CM and his entire family are the most corrupt. The Assam government is run for the benefit of one family…” the Congress MP alleged.

Earlier today, Sarma said Gandhi was scared of him as well as his son.

Sarma switched over to the BJP from the Congress in 2015. He is credited with establishing the BJP in the northeast as a major political force.