“If I Act…”: Himanta Sarma On Congress Leader’s Charge Against Colleague

Guwahati:

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma today reacted to an Assam Congress leader’s harassment allegations against her colleague and a senior party leader, Srinivas BV. “It’s the internal matter of Congress,” he said.

Former Assam Youth Congress chief Angkita Dutta has accused Mr Srinivas of being “sexist and chauvinistic”, and discriminating against her based on gender. He responded with a defamation notice for allegedly using “unparliamentary and defamatory” words against him.

“She has complained to Rahul Gandhi and not me, so if I act they will question as why I am concerning about Congress’s internal matters. I want to make two things very clear unless she complains to us on the matter, we will not enter into it. I believe that Congress’s top leadership shall protect the dignity of an Assamese woman. When it comes to me, then l shall look into it,” he said.

In a series of tweets on Tuesday, Ms Dutta accused Srinivas BV and another Congress leader of mental harassment. She said that they humiliated her over her gender.

“This has been happening repeatedly. I had been complaining within the organisation for months but nothing happened. I am on the verge of losing self-respect now because I am an educated woman and I work for women’s issues,” she said

“The IYC in-charge comes to Assam and calls me ‘ae ladki’ and not as Dr Dutta or Angkita,” she told NDTV.

Assam Congress leader Debabrata Saikia on Wednesday dismissed Ms Dutta’s allegations as a political agenda and attempt to tarnish the party’s image.

“This is supposed to be an internal matter. It should not have gone out in the public domain. However, Angkita Dutta has made some tweets and naturally, it has gone to the public domain and as a consequence yesterday itself Indian Youth Congress president Srinivas BV sent a legal notice to Angkita Dutta seeking explanation and apology,” he said.

“Now, I have seen that National Commission for Women stepped in. In the circumstances and the way things have developed, I am quite certain of a political motive behind all this. I cannot put the blames on anybody without ascertaining the facts,” Mr Saikia said.

The National Commission for Women (NCW) has asked the Assam Police to conduct an inquiry into the harassment allegations levelled against Mr Srinivas.