Guwahati, 24 September (HS): All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) chief and Nagaon Lok Sabha bypoll candidate Badruddin Ajmal stepped up his attack on Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and BJP nominee Debashish Sharma during an election meeting at Shantijan Bazar in the Dhing Assembly constituency.

Referring to alleged remarks by Sarma about breaking the “backbone” of the Miya community, Ajmal made a personal reference to the chief minister’s weight. “Himanta weighs 80 kg while I weigh 100 kg. If I climb on him, his backbone would break anyway,” he said.

Ajmal also alleged that Sarma had described members of the Miya community as Bangladeshis and had referred to him as a Pakistani.

Taking aim at BJP candidate Debashish Sharma, Ajmal said Sharma would “play songs” in Parliament if elected and made a threatening remark about slapping him and throwing him out.

The Nagaon Lok Sabha by-election, scheduled for October 6, has emerged as a three-way contest involving Ajmal, BJP candidate Debashish Sharma and Congress nominee Sibamoni Bora. The three candidates filed their nomination papers on September 16.

The seat fell vacant after former Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi resigned from the Lok Sabha and subsequently won the Dispur Assembly constituency on a BJP ticket. Campaigning has intensified across Nagaon, with leaders of the BJP, Congress and AIUDF holding meetings in different parts of the constituency.

Meanwhile, BJP MLA Rupak Sarma campaigned alongside Debashish Sharma in the Nagaon-Batadraba Assembly segment, where the duo attended nine election meetings. BJP leaders used the meetings to allege that Congress had failed to fulfil its development commitments to the minority community and claimed that some voters were shifting towards the BJP over development issues.

The BJP also claimed that several hundred Congress workers joined its ranks during the campaign meetings.------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Sriprakash