Guwahati, Sep 19: “Rahul Gandhi is a mad person; sometimes you see him with a beard, sometimes clean-shaven,” Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in a swipe at the former Congress chief after his “murder of democracy” remark following the arrest of the party’s bypoll candidate in West Bengal.
He defended the arrest of the Congress’ Nandigram bypoll candidate in connection with 19-year-old cases, saying it was the “police’s duty”.
According to West Bengal police, Milan Pradhan was arrested based on four pending arrest warrants for his alleged involvement in non-bailable cases related to murder, attempt to murder, abduction with intent to murder, causing disappearance of evidence, house trespass, rioting with arms and deadly weapons, all of which were filed during the 2007 anti-land acquisition movement in Nandigram.
Speaking to reporters during his visit to Madhupur Sattra in neighbouring West Bengal’s Coochbehar, Sarma claimed Gandhi allowed a murder accused to take part in an electoral process.
“What kind of a candidate will you call him? I have read in the newspapers that two or three murder cases were registered against him in 2007. When such matters come to light, the police will definitely have to arrest him as it is their duty,” he said in response to Gandhi terming the arrest as “targeting the opposition” and “murder of democracy”.
“I laugh whenever I see Rahul Gandhi. He is a madman — sometimes you will see him with a beard, sometimes clean-shaven and again sometimes he is abroad and sometimes in India. He is nothing but a mad person,” Sarma said.
Both the Congress and Trinamool Congress faction of Mamata Banerjee questioned the timing of the arrest and alleged the case was being used to target the opposition ahead of the bypoll.
“The timing (of the arrest) raises serious questions and is the usual BJP formula: dig out an old case. But why now? Just after we announced support to the Congress! The BJP’s politics of vendetta and atrocities show a clear pattern. With manipulation, with vote loot, with intimidation, the election agency-BJP partnership is killing democracy every day,” Banerjee remarked on X on Friday.
The BJP has rejected the allegations and maintained that the arrest was related to pending criminal cases.
The state police maintained that repeated attempts to arrest Pradhan in the past failed since he was absconding. (PTI)
