Guwahati
The statements made by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma against the mother of Assam Jatiya Parishad Party candidate Kunki Chowdhury over allegations of eating beef and being “anti-national and anti-Sanatani” have put the young leader in the limelight ahead of the Assembly elections scheduled on April 9.
Sarma on Thursday alleged that the candidate’s mother, Sujata Gurung Chowdhury, eats beef, supports anti-natives and opposes Sanatani traditions, citing her social media posts.
“The RJD has fielded a candidate whose mother’s Instagram posts show her criticizing Lord Krishna, openly eating beef, challenging the Sanatani people, and supporting [anti-national] People love [jailed former Jawaharlal Nehru University students] Sharjeel Imam and Omar Khalid say that Pakistan is not an enemy country.”
Kunki Chaudhary dismissed Sarma’s allegations as completely baseless and added that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had accepted defeat in her central Guwahati constituency by making such accusations. “It has only been 15 days since I entered politics and the love and support I have received from the people of central Guwahati and the rest of Assam in such a short period shows that they [BJP] “I am scared. With the Prime Minister naming my name, the whole of India will now know who Kunki Chaudhary is,” Kunki Choudhary said in a video posted on social media.
Kunki Chowdhury, a UCL graduate born into one of Assam’s prominent merchant families, is fighting against the BJP’s Vijay Gupta. Before delimitation in 2023, the seat was known as West Guwahati, and is represented by the BJP’s ally, AGP.
Sujata Gurung Chowdhury echoed the daughter and urged the BJP to check the facts before making such comments. She rejected allegations of supporting “anti-national elements” and asserted that her grandfather, Ari Bahadur Gurung, was a signatory of the constitution as a representative of the Gorkha community. “It is my daughter who is contesting the elections by choice. I wonder why the Prime Minister is dragging common people like us into such false accusations. They should have checked the contents of social media, which they are referring to, before making these allegations.”
The RJD, part of the Congress-led six-party alliance, said Sarma’s comments raised questions about the BJP’s slogan “Beti bachao, beti badhao” (protect and empower the girl child). She added that the people of Assam will see through this political conspiracy and give a befitting response.
RJD chief Lurinjyoti Gogoi said Sarma’s targeting of their candidate’s mother showed desperation. “Instead of addressing problems like artificial floods in central Guwahati, it brings religion, food habits and Pakistan into the debate,” he said.
