Congress condemns Assam Government over arrest of party spokesperson

The arrest of Congress spokesperson Reetam Singh has sparked strong reactions from the party, with Rajesh Kumar Sethi, National Coordinator of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) Minority Department (In-charge of Manipur), accusing the Assam government of misusing state agencies and suppressing dissent.

Singh was arrested on Saturday from his home in Guwahati by a team of Lakhimpur district police, assisted by Guwahati Police. His arrest followed a complaint by the wife of BJP MLA Manab Deka regarding a social media post. Singh had shared a news report on March 13 about the conviction of three individuals in a 2021 rape case in Dhemaji district, questioning the status of cases against three senior BJP leaders, including a former state chief and two serving MLAs.

Condemning the arrest, Sethi stated that it was “clear evidence that Assam is not under the rule of law but under an oppressive regime of power.” He accused Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s government of “suppressing the voice of the democratic opposition” and “using police and investigative agencies to crush dissent.”

Sethi outlined several allegations against the Assam government. He claimed that the BJP-led government was illegally arresting opposition leaders and activists to “hide its failures.” He further accused the administration of politically exploiting police and government agencies, alleging that “the administration is being weaponized by the BJP to suppress democratic rights.” He also criticized the Assam government’s alleged attack on freedom of expression, stating that “in a democracy, every citizen has the right to question the government, but the Assam government is focused on intimidating its critics.” Questioning the state of democracy, he asked, “Is this the ‘New India’ where speaking the truth leads to imprisonment?”

Calling the arrest of Reetam Singh “unjust,” Sethi said, “If the Chief Minister thinks that by intimidating the opposition, making arrests, or misusing agencies, he can mislead the people, he is mistaken. The Congress Party will not bow down to such dictatorial tactics.” He demanded the immediate release of Reetam Singh, an end to the alleged misuse of government agencies, and protection of democratic rights.

Sethi also alleged that the BJP was unsettled by Rahul Gandhi’s growing influence, stating, “The real concern for the BJP government is that, under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, a ‘shop of love is opening in the marketplace of hate.’” He claimed that Rahul Gandhi’s outreach across the country was exposing “the BJP’s divisive politics.”

He further pointed to the rising popularity of Congress Minority Department President Imran Pratapgarhi, arguing that “the BJP knows that Congress’s connection with the minority community is strengthening while its own communal politics is weakening. This is why Himanta Biswa Sarma is making baseless statements against Congress leadership and misusing state machinery.”

Sethi asserted that “the Congress Party will continue fighting for the rights of the people and will resist dictatorial mindsets at every level.”

MT