Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s remarks targeting the mother of opposition Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) 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 April 9 Assembly elections.
Sarma on Thursday alleged that the 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 people like [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 Choudhary, a University College London graduate from one of Assam’s prominent business families, is contesting against Vijay Gupta, 70, of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The mother echoed her daughter’s words 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 shows their desperation and inability to confront her popularity. “Instead of addressing problems like artificial floods in central Guwahati, it brings religion, food habits and Pakistan into the debate,” he said.
