Guwahati, February 26 – Congress MP Rakibul Hussain alleged on Thursday that Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has been making sustained verbal attacks against him since he defeated AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal by a huge margin in the Dhubri Lok Sabha constituency in the last parliamentary elections.
Speaking to reporters here, Hussain claimed that the political hostility began immediately after his victory over Ajmal by nearly 10 lakh votes.
He said his relationship with Sarma had remained cordial earlier, but changed sharply following the Dhubri result.
“Earlier, everything was fine between us. Suddenly, I became his target from the day I defeated his friend Badruddin Ajmal by a massive margin,” Hussain alleged.
According to the Congress MP, the defeat of Ajmal disrupted the Chief Minister’s political narrative.
“After Ajmal’s loss, Himanta Biswa Sarma realised that he could no longer do politics using Ajmal’s name. From that very day, the attacks on me started. He is unable to accept the manner in which Ajmal was defeated,” Hussain said.
Hussain further claimed that with the BJP allegedly facing growing resistance in Upper Assam from communities such as the Moran, Matak and tea tribes, the Chief Minister is now seeking to revive political equations with Ajmal.
He alleged that the BJP’s position has weakened in Upper Assam, citing the absence of MLAs from tea tribe communities and the lack of representation at the Centre.
“In this situation, Himanta Biswa Sarma feels that to win the upcoming Assembly elections, he will again need Badruddin Ajmal,” Hussain claimed. Making a sharp allegation, the Congress MP said Ajmal, who was allegedly staying outside the state, was called back for electoral purposes.
“Badruddin Ajmal is Himanta’s old friend. This is not my claim alone - the Chief Minister himself has said earlier that Ajmal fields candidates wherever he is asked to,” Hussain alleged.
Referring to the Samaguri Assembly by-election, Hussain also accused the Chief Minister of manipulating the outcome.
He claimed that despite Samaguri being his stronghold, the by-election result was influenced through alleged rigging.
“The people of Samaguri are my own voters. What happened in the by-election was due to manipulation,” Hussain said, adding that the Congress would reclaim the seat with a decisive margin in the next election.