Guwahati: A heated exchange of words has erupted between Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over the arrest of Congress spokesperson Reetam Singh. Singh was arrested for a social media post that allegedly insulted a Dalit woman and her husband, a BJP MLA.
Ramesh condemned the arrest, calling it “worse than atrocious” and asserting that Singh’s post was “perfectly reasonable”. He tagged Sarma in his post, prompting the Chief Minister to respond. Sarma accused Ramesh of justifying a caste-based insult and hinted at a larger conspiracy involving the Congress party.
Ramesh fired back, accusing Sarma of diverting attention from the real issue – the alleged misuse of police powers to favour associates and fix opponents. The Congress leader’s arrest has sparked widespread outrage, with many accusing the Assam government of silencing opposition voices.
Singh was arrested from his home in Guwahati by a team of Lakhimpur district police, following a complaint by the wife of BJP MLA Manab Deka. The Congress spokesperson had posted about the status of cases registered against three senior BJP leaders, including a former state chief and two serving MLAs.
The incident has led to a dramatic confrontation, with Deputy Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi alleging that Singh was brutally dragged away by police. Gogoi accused the Assam government of misusing police powers and questioned the silence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who was in the state at the time of the arrest.