Is the ruling BJP in Assam become intolerant? The question is being raised in Assam after the Assam police have picked up two of its social media team members for criticizing Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal on social media and questioning the silence of Sonowal on issues concerning some of the recent developments.
The Assam police have detained two of the BJP’s social media team members in last 24 hours and raided the house of one such member. All these members have posted some comments on the social media slamming the chief minister and his silence.
While the police have picked up and detained one Nitumoni Bora on the basis of an FIR filed by one Raju Mahanta, one Nani Gopal Dutta of Majuli was also picked up and detained for questioning the chief minister.
Hailing from Majuli, Dutta has been working for the party in Tinsukia at present.
Sources further said that the police have also raided the house of one Hemanta Baruah in Majuli on Wednesday night, triggering a panic among several members of the BJP’s social media team across the state.
Some of these social media team members have recently been very vocal against the ruling government in Assam and particularly against the chief minister for his silence over some of the vital issues concerning the state.
“We have been working very hard since 2014 to popularize the party in Assam because we love the party and its ideals. We have launched aggressive social media campaign against the then ruling Congress exposing the party and its misrule to the people which in fact paved way for a change of guard in Assam. However, our members were not arrested by the Congress then,” said a member of the BJP’s social media team on condition of anonymity.
“How can they stop us from expressing our freedom of speech? Have we become so intolerant that we cannot take a genuine criticism,” he said while seeking immediate intervention of chief minister Sonowal regarding this.
Sources further said that some close aides of the chief minister has handed over a list of over 100 such social media teams of the BJP seeking action against them for criticizing the government and particularly the chief minister.