Guwahati: The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) staged a protest at the Manabendra Sharma complex in Dispur on Tuesday, intensifying its criticism of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over alleged accumulation of assets and controversial social media content linked to the ruling BJP.
Congress leaders and workers demanded “transparency and accountability” from the BJP-led state government, raising questions over the Chief Minister’s purported ownership of 12,000 bighas of land. The party claimed that the public had a right to know how such assets were acquired, particularly after Sarma entered electoral politics.
Protesters highlighted the apparent disparity between the growth in Sarma’s family wealth and the struggles of ordinary citizens. According to Assam Mahila Congress chief Mira Borthakur, “If the Chief Minister is a public figure, how can he allegedly possess 12,000 bighas of land? While the government claims to support lakhs of people through welfare schemes, many families continue to drown in debt.”
Participants at the protest also criticized the distribution and effectiveness of government schemes. “Families cannot survive on these schemes alone. People remain burdened with debt, while the Chief Minister appears focused on property registered in the names of his wife and children. Even prominent artistes like Zubeen Garg are yet to receive justice,” a demonstrator said.
Borthakur further alleged that Sarma’s political associates were offering misguided advice. “I have repeatedly warned the Chief Minister that if he continues to keep company like Pabitra Margherita, he will receive flawed guidance. Those around him are opportunists,” she said.
The Congress also condemned a controversial video allegedly circulated from a BJP-linked social media handle, showing the Chief Minister firing a gun at point-blank range. Party leaders described the clip as “dangerous, undemocratic, and deeply disturbing”, alleging that it set a wrong precedent. Earlier on Tuesday, the party lodged a formal complaint at Dispur Police Station, accusing the BJP Assam unit of circulating a communally provocative, AI-generated video on a microblogging platform.