The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is on the back-foot after Assam Minister Pijush Hazarika’s call recording, wherein he threatened a journalist with ‘consequences’, went viral in the social media.
Top BJP leaders in Assam including Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal have maintained pin-drop silence in the matter.
The BJP leaders are maintaining complete silence over Pijush Hazarika’s threat call to a journalist of a local satellite TV news channel.
While, most of the Assam BJP leaders are tight-lipped over the matter, the saffron party’s National General Secretary Dilip Saikia has in fact blamed the media for Pijush Hazarika’s unruly behaviour.
Dilip Saikia indicated that Pijush Hazarika’s behaviour was a repercussion of the reports carried by almost all media houses in Assam over Hazarika’s wife’s statement on CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) in an election rally.
“Media also need to be responsible over the kind of issues they report. What will a person do when his wife is vilified by the media?” Dilip Saikia said.
Also read: Assam: Protest against BJP leader Pijush Hazarika for threatening journalists
Meanwhile, the journalist fraternity across Assam on Friday staged protest against State Minister and BJP leader Pijush Hazarika for threatening scribe of a TV channel.
In the audio clip that went viral in the social media, Pijush Hazarika could be heard threatening two journalists with dire consequences.
Pijush Hazarika allegedly threatened to “drag two journalists out of their homes” for reporting a news involving his wife and Assamese actress Aimee Baruah.
Pijush Hazarika is contesting the Assam Assembly elections from Jagiroad constituency that went to polls during the second phase on Thursday.
Also read: Assam EVMs recovery row: After ‘caught red-handed’, BJP gives ‘goodwill gesture’ excuse
One of the journalists who was threatened by Pijush Hazarika has also filed an FIR against the State Minister at the Jagiroad Police Station in Morigaon district.