Himanta commits a blooper, says Assam BJP president will

Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma committed a blooper on Wednesday saying BJP state chief Ranjeet Kumar Dass will preside over a rally of Congress booth presidents in January.

He was addressing a gathering of BJP workers after a silent march at Barpeta Road town against the protests opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act.

Sarma, a senior party leader, said "On the 5th (of January), the Congress booth presidents will meet BJP Assam president Ranjeet Dass at Khanapara (in Guwahati). He will preside over the meeting, almost 30,000 booth presidents will come".

Congress is in the opposition in Assam.

Sarma, however, appeared not to realise his mistake and continued with his speech.

"On 27th (of December), we will meet again in Jagiroad where at least 50,000 people will take part. Workers will come out in Sualkuchi on 29th (of December) ... BJP will get 100 seats in the 2021 polls (in Assam). We take the pledge today to have a strong and development oriented government," he added.

Reacting, a tongue-in-cheek Congress MLA Rakibul Hussain said, "Probably someone is willing to come back to Congress".

Sarma, who is also the convenor of the NDA's regional wing North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), was a minister under former Congress chief minister Tarun Gogoi. He had quit that party and joined BJP in 2015.

He told the rally that the Hindu immigrants from Bangladesh who are likely to be benefitted from the amended Citizenship Act had entered the country during the Congress' tenure.

"No one coming to India after December 2014 will be given citizenship. We firmly believe that not an insect entered India after Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power. These people did not enter India during Narendra Modi or Sarbananda Sonowal's tenure.

"You (Congress) allowed these Hindu people to come. Now how can we ask them to leave? You should not have allowed them to come to India," he added.

Sarma claimed that Modi had asked his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina that no Hindu be tortured in her country.

"He (Modi) has ensured the safety of Hindus in Bangladesh. If Manmohan Singh and Rajiv Gandhi had taken such steps, these Hindu people would have not come here. This entire problem has been created because of weak leadership of Congress and we are facing it now," he added.

Commenting at the ongoing protests against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act, he said "When the sun shines at its peak sometimes dark clouds come and obstruct the rays. This cloud is temporary and will go away.

"A deocractic movement is going on against the CAB (CAA). BJP will not object to the democratic movement. Congress is misleading the people with misinformation," he added.