Addressing a rally in Assam on Sunday, 3 March, state minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that if the BJP was not voted back to power, India would face another terror attack.
As reported by The India Express, Sarma was speaking in Nagaon's Kampur area, where he also accused the Congress of “surrendering itself to people who write Pakistan Zindabad on social media."
“If we do not bring BJP government back to power in India and Assam again, the Pakistan Army or terrorists will probably come and attack the Indian Parliament and Assam Assembly, and the Prime Minister will not have the courage to retaliate... If we are not united under the leadership of the BJP, then in Assam, these people who say ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ will destroy our civilisation and culture," Sarma said.
Sarma further added that the "new India" possesses the potential to retaliate to external attacks under the leadership Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Sarma’s Statements Come Amid Political Crisis in Assam
Sarma’s comments come amid the political crises in Assam and the slugfest between BJP and the Opposition parties over the veracity of the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) strikes in Balakot, Pakistan.
As earlier reported by The Quint, it was speculated that the ruling BJP could lose 4 Lok Sabha seats after its ally Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) pulled out from the NDA alliance. The break up in January was a result of the controversial Citizenship Amendment Bill which was proposed by BJP, seeking to give citizenship status to Hindu migrants settled in Assam.
Similarly, last month IAF reportedly carried out air strikes at a compound that was harbouring JeM terrorists. Several leaders including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has demanded details of the IAF’s operation, triggering a political row.
During the rally, Sarma also stated that 130 people were arrested in Assam for hailing Pakistan on social media after the air strikes and 14 February's Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF jawans were martyred.
(With inputs from PTI and The Indian Express)
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