In a sharp rebuke, Assam Minister Pijush Hazarika strongly condemned West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her recent statement suggesting that unrest in Bengal could spread to Assam.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Hazarika criticized Banerjee's remarks as an attempt to interfere in Assam's governance and asserted that such tactics would not succeed under the current administration.
"She can't bully, she can't threaten us," Hazarika stated. "She can't control law and order in her state and is threatening us. It will not happen in Assam, I am assuring you." The minister stressed that Assam, under the leadership of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and the BJP government, would not be swayed by external pressures or threats.
Hazarika also called on Banerjee to maintain the decorum expected of a long-serving chief minister. "I would like to request Mamata Banerjee, she is a very senior leader and a long-time CM; she should know how to speak in public. I seriously condemn it," he added.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also responded to Banerjee's comments, warning her against threatening Assam. "Didi, how dare you threaten Assam? Don't show us red eyes. Don't even try to burn India with your politics of failure. It does not suit you to speak divisive language," CM Sarma said.
Banerjee made her controversial remarks during a public function in Kolkata, where she accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of using his party to create unrest in Bengal following the rape and murder of a trainee doctor. Banerjee warned that if Bengal was set ablaze, other states, including Assam, the North-East, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Delhi, could also face similar unrest.
"Some people think this is Bangladesh. I love Bangladesh; they speak like us and share our culture. But remember, Bangladesh is a separate country, and India is a separate country. Modi Babu is using his party to cause fire here. If you burn Bengal, Assam, North-East, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Delhi too shall burn! We will topple your chair," Banerjee said.
The controversy intensified as BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi accused Banerjee of threatening doctors in her state by discouraging the filing of FIRs against protesting doctors following the Kolkata rape and murder incident. "After the attempt to mislead the probe, save the accused, and destroy evidence, now a new strategy to threaten doctors can be seen," Trivedi remarked.
West Bengal BJP President Sukanta Majumdar also weighed in, writing a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, accusing Banerjee of "shamelessly inciting" violence and engaging in "revenge politics."