Guwahati, Apr 12: Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) on Sunday slammed Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma after its candidate for Guwahati Central Kunki Chowdhury was summoned by police in an election-related case and claimed that the ruling party is rattled after seeing that the mandate has gone against them in the constituency.
Chowdhury reached Panbazar Police Station in the morning after receiving a summons for an election-related case.
She was served a notice on Saturday and asked to appear before police on Sunday before 11 am, noting that failing to do so would render her liable for arrest.
A case was filed against Chowdhury and her campaign manager, Sandeep Yadav, by a BJP activist Naba Kumar Lahkar on the day of polling on April 9, alleging the duo violated the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) and hampered the conduct of free-and-fair elections.
“All the charges in the FIR are bailable, so she cannot be arrested. In fact, the charges are not serious at all. This was filed and the summons issued with such a strong language just to harass her,” Advocate Santanu Borthakur told reporters outside the police station.
The Model Code of Conduct (MCC) is in force now, and when the chief secretary is running the government, how the chief minister can reportedly say that he has sent police, asked the legal expert.
“Kunki contested the polls and set a narrative for the entire state, and it was damaging for the BJP. That’s why this politically motivated case was filed,” Borthakur said.
He also asked the police what happened to the complaint Chowdhury filed regarding a deep fake video, allegedly propagated by BJP IT cell members.
AJP debutante Chowdhury found herself at the centre of a charged controversy with CM Sarma threatening legal action against her parents over alleged beef consumption, even as she dismissed the attacks as baseless and challenged BJP veteran Vijay Kumar Gupta in Guwahati Central constituency.
On April 4, Chowdhury filed a police complaint for alleged deep-fake defamatory videos on social media about her family, following Sarma’s claims about her mother’s food habit.
Commenting on the latest development, AJP president Lurinjyoti Gogoi said summoning Chowdhury is “shocking and unfortunate”.
“This is not only administrative pressure on a candidate, it is a burning example of the BJP’s repression of democracy in Assam today. Himanta Biswa Sarma and the BJP have started using the administration and police for their political gain, which is a dangerous sign for the democratic system,” he added.
When the ruling party is afraid of losing power, when it is convinced that the vote of the people has gone against it, “fascist parties like the BJP” adopt undemocratic methods to keep power in the abdomen by crooked paths, Gogoi alleged.
“Our question is why the BJP supporters who published the deep-fake video not been arrested yet despite the complaint filed by Kunki Chowdhury? Why is the Assam Police behaving in a biased manner?” he asked.
Gogoi alleged that the BJP, which is afraid of the rise and victory of the AJP candidate in the Guwahati Central constituency, has now resorted to politics of intimidation.
“But it is equally true that intimidation cannot mask the truth forever. We want to send a clear message to brave young women like Kunki Chowdhury that you are not alone. Thousands of democratic-minded people in Assam are with Kunki. These threats will only strengthen the struggle of the Assam Jatiya Parishad,” he added.
Assam will never accept the BJP’s thuggery, and democracy, justice and rights will always triumph, Gogoi said.
“This is not a time to be afraid, this is a time to stand firm for the truth. Those who believe in democracy must speak out together today. The administration should stop political abuse and political retaliation,” he added.
Polling for all 126 Assam assembly constituencies took place on April 9. The votes will be counted on May 4.
A record 85.96 per cent of Assam’s 2.51 crore electorate exercised their franchise. This marked the highest voter turnout in the state’s history, surpassing the previous high of 84.67 per cent recorded in 2016. (PTI)
