Himanta Biswa Sarma, the Chief Minister of Assam, made some tough words at a rally in Kota. He stated that if a murder similar to Kanhaiya Lal's had occurred in Assam, he would have intervened within 10 minutes.
Kanhaiya Lal was a tailor who was brutally murdered in Udaipur in June 2022 for allegedly insulting Islam.
In December of last year, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) charged 11 people for their involvement in this case.
The murder sparked widespread outrage and protests in Udaipur and across India. Both of the attackers were apprehended.
Sarma criticised Ashok Gehlot, the Chief Minister of Rajasthan, where the murder occurred while speaking to the gathering.
Sarma said that he was a member of the Congress party for 22 years and that the party devises strategies before elections in order to gain votes and does not care about serving the people.
He was particularly critical of Gehlot's government's Annapurna Food Packet scheme, which delivers free food packets to families covered by the National Food Security Act.
Sarma questioned why such a programme was not implemented five years ago, when people were facing food shortages due to the Covid epidemic.
He further accused Congress of putting a stop to these projects after the elections.
Sarma went on to say that his party is unconcerned about elections and will not try to appease voters immediately before the polls.
He stated that detaining MLAs at a hotel and feeding them for 35 days can cause them to develop certain habits. During a political crisis, he chastised Gehlot for holding MLAs in a hotel for 35 days.
Instead of holding the MLAs at a hotel, Sarma advised that Sachin Pilot, a major political figure, and Rahul Gandhi be consulted to choose who would be the Chief Minister.
Sarma also chastised Gehlot for declaring that Rajasthan would not become a Hindu state. Sarma said that Hindus have lived in Rajasthan for hundreds of years and that it is not something that a political party can decide.
He claimed that as long as the moon and sun exist, Rajasthan will remain a Hindu state.
Sarma's comments mirror political tensions across India, and they were directed at the policies and conduct of the Congress-led administration in Rajasthan.
He sought to emphasise what he saw as flaws in their policies and decision-making, while also safeguarding Rajasthan's Hindu character.
