‘Apologise or face legal action’: Congress threatens CM over ‘crass’ remark on women

Guwahati, April 29: The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) has issued a 24-hour ultimatum to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, demanding a public apology for his recent remark suggesting that women in the state had “compromised their dignity” to secure government jobs — a comment the party says has deeply insulted the women of Assam.

Addressing the press on Tuesday, APCC President Bhupen Borah launched a scathing attack on the Chief Minister, calling the remark “not only demeaning but also outright false”.

“Thousands of women were appointed as schoolteachers, professors, ASHA workers, nurses, and in various other government roles during the 15 years of Congress rule. Was Himanta Biswa Sarma blindfolded like Dhritarashtra during those years when he himself was a cabinet minister in the Congress government? His sudden moral outrage is both hypocritical and politically motivated,” Borah said.

Further condemning the remark, Borah said the party is considering legal action against the Chief Minister.

“With his statement, the Chief Minister has publicly humiliated these women and their families. If he does not apologise within 24 hours, we will instruct the Assam Pradesh Mahila Congress to approach the High Court for legal redress,” he warned.

Mira Borthakur, a senior member of the Assam Pradesh Mahila Congress, also slammed the Chief Minister’s comments.

“In his speech, the Chief Minister referred to the Biplab Sharma committee report to suggest that women secured jobs by immoral means during the Congress era. This is shameful and unacceptable. How can a Chief Minister make such an insulting statement just to win votes? I demand he publicly seek forgiveness from every woman he has insulted,” she said.

She further alleged that Sarma himself had played a role in favouring certain appointments during his time in the Congress.

“Wasn’t Himanta Biswa Sarma part of the Congress party at the time? Wasn’t he a key player in the same system he now criticises? If he supported figures like Rakesh Pal then, doesn’t that make him equally responsible?” she added.

The APCC leaders have also called upon civil society groups and women’s organisations across Assam to unite and resist what they termed a “disgraceful attack on the integrity of working women”.

The controversy stems from a remark made by the Chief Minister during an election rally ahead of the Panchayat polls, where he alleged that women who secured government jobs during the Congress regime had compromised their dignity.