GUWAHATI: Protests erupted in Guwahati on Wednesday, April 30 as leaders of the Assam Mahila Congress staged a demonstration against Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s controversial remarks regarding women and government jobs. Sarma, speaking at a campaign event for the panchayat elections, alleged that during the Congress government’s 15-year tenure in Assam (2001-2015), women were compelled to trade their virginity for government jobs.
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The statement has sparked widespread anger, with women leaders burning an effigy of the Chief Minister outside Rajiv Bhawan in Guwahati. The protesters, including members of the Mahila Congress, demanded an apology from Sarma, condemning his comments as derogatory and insulting. Bhupen Kumar Borah, president of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC), expressed outrage, calling the Chief Minister’s remarks one of the most offensive statements in Indian politics. Borah called for a public apology and warned that legal action would be pursued if Sarma failed to retract his words.
Mira Borthakur Goswami, the State President of Assam Mahila Congress, also took to action, writing a letter to the National Commission for Women (NCW). In her letter, Borthakur condemned Sarma’s claims as not only false but damaging, suggesting that such an implication undermines the dignity of countless women who worked in government roles during that period. She called for an immediate investigation by the NCW and demanded a CBI probe, citing the inability of the Assam Police to handle the case impartially.
Borthakur further questioned Sarma’s silence on such a serious issue during his time in the Congress government, calling for accountability. She urged the NCW to intervene and ensure that justice is served to the women of Assam, stressing that if the CM’s statements were proven false, he should face serious consequences, including resignation.
However, Sarma defended his statement saying it was not his, but was taken from the Biplab Sharma Committee report that had investigated the cash-for-job scam.