Guwahati: An RSS swayamsevak ended a 335-hour hunger strike against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday, with former BJP leader Jayanta Kumar Das questioning the RSS leadership’s silence over the protest.
Hiteswar Chakraborty began the hunger strike on August 16, demanding Sarma’s arrest under sedition laws over his alleged sympathetic remarks about ULFA (I) leader Paresh Baruah. He ended his hunger strike on the morning of August 30 after 335 hours.
Chakraborty ended his hunger strike in the presence of Das and Sujata Gurung Chowdhury.
He had demanded that Sarma either apologise to the people of Assam or resign. He also sought the Chief Minister’s arrest under the National Security Act (NSA) if no action was taken at the state level and called for the ban on the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) to be lifted.
Chakraborty said he had earlier written to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, the President and the Governor of Assam outlining his demands, but received no response from the Home Ministry or the Governor. He has also announced plans to approach the court against Sarma.
Although Chakraborty did not suffer any critical deterioration in health during the protest, allegations were raised that the administration did not provide doctors or medical staff throughout the hunger strike.
The absence of senior RSS leaders from the protest site drew attention. Das questioned the organisation’s response to the demands raised by its own swayamsevak and asked whether its leadership was seeking to appease Sarma at the cost of its stated principles.
Das also raised allegations concerning recommendations and favouritism in employment and sought clarification from the RSS leadership on whether some of its officials were aligning themselves with the Chief Minister for personal gains.
He also questioned the limited attention given by mainstream media to the hunger strike, which continued for 15 days and involved allegations against a sitting Chief Minister.
The protest followed Sarma’s remarks concerning the ULFA (I) chief, which Chakraborty described as seditious. With the hunger strike over, Chakraborty’s allegations and Das’s questions have put the RSS leadership’s response to the protest under scrutiny.