Something shifted in Assam this week—and it wasn’t just the monsoon winds.
Standing before a restless crowd in Chaygaon, sweat trailing down his brow, Rahul Gandhi didn’t hold back. He wasn’t just campaigning; he was issuing a challenge. “Take it in writing—Himanta Biswa Sarma will definitely be sent to jail,” thundered the Congress leader. “And no Modi or Shah will be able to save him.”
With those words, the battle for Assam’s 2026 Assembly elections took a turn few saw coming. It stopped being about policies and started being about personality. Ego. Fear. Power. And perhaps, revenge.
Reacting to that, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma responded—not with fire, but with surgical sarcasm.
CM Sarma’s Retort: Cold, Cutting
“Before sending me to jail, what’s the guarantee Rahul Gandhi won’t go first?” Sarma shot back during a press conference in Guwahati. “You come to a state and speak of jailing its elected Chief Minister? That doesn’t befit a national leader.”
Later on X (formerly Twitter), Sarma doubled down with his trademark sting:
“He came all the way to Assam just to utter these words? My best regards to you, Rahul ji. Enjoy a good meal at Assam’s expense.”
The post dripped sarcasm but masked something deeper—an acknowledgment that Rahul’s words had landed, perhaps more sharply than expected.
A Clash Beyond Politics
This isn’t BJP vs. Congress anymore. What’s unfolding in Assam is a psychological duel—between a man who rules with thunder and another who’s decided to strike with lightning.
Gandhi’s accusations were relentless: that Sarma acts less like a public servant and more like a “land-hungry king.” He alleged corruption, cronyism, and corporate collusion with “Adani-Ambani types” monopolizing the state’s resources. He claimed Sarma’s governance is about real estate deals, not public welfare. And then came the most stinging line of the day:
“He blusters. He bellows. But look into his eyes—you’ll see fear.”
The Personal Is Now Political
Gandhi’s attack wasn’t just rhetorical—it was emotional theatre. His voice surged over the monsoon breeze, his words calibrated for maximum sting. And the crowd roared. The kind of roar that might make even seasoned strongmen flinch.
Sarma, on the other hand, projected calm. He invoked his record, questioned Rahul’s credibility, and dismissed the threats as nothing more than theatrics from a man “out on bail in several cases.”
But beneath the verbal duel, a real question brews across Assam’s tea stalls, living rooms, and village squares:
Is Assam’s strongest man rattled—or just reacting?
Old Allegations, New Fire
This isn’t the first time Sarma has been in the eye of the storm. From his powerful days in the Tarun Gogoi-led Congress government to now, controversies have followed him—be it the Louis Berger bribery scandal or irregularities in NC Hills.
And Rahul knows it. His Chaygaon attack was loaded with the history Sarma has long distanced himself from.
Still, the CM stands his ground. “Let people judge me by my work, not by a man whose only job is to incite,” he said.
Gandhi’s Gamble
For Rahul Gandhi, Assam is a high-stakes gamble. He’s betting that people are tired of “strongman” politics—that beneath Sarma’s commanding voice lies a growing vulnerability. That the air of invincibility can be pierced with just the right amount of public pressure and political storytelling.
“He’s no king. He’s no savior. He’s scared,” Rahul insisted in Chaygaon.
And the People?
Caught between Gandhi and Sarma, Assam’s voters now face a question bigger than party loyalty:
Is this about governance—or about the ghosts each man is trying to exorcise?
2026 won’t just be a political contest. It will be a referendum on who the people believe: The deliverer who calls the shots—or the challenger who claims the house is built on fear.
/pratidin/media/agency_attachments/2024/11/06/2024-11-06t060101441z-pratidin-logo.png){kind=logo}
Ego or Fear? What Ignites Assam CM's Response to Rahul Gandhi's Comments
In Assam, Rahul Gandhi blasts CM Sarma for turning the state into his private fiefdom ahead of the 2026 polls. Is his strength driven by fear—or pure ego?
Something shifted in Assam this week—and it wasn’t just the monsoon winds.
Standing before a restless crowd in Chaygaon, sweat trailing down his brow, Rahul Gandhi didn’t hold back. He wasn’t just campaigning; he was issuing a challenge. “Take it in writing—Himanta Biswa Sarma will definitely be sent to jail,” thundered the Congress leader. “And no Modi or Shah will be able to save him.”
With those words, the battle for Assam’s 2026 Assembly elections took a turn few saw coming. It stopped being about policies and started being about personality. Ego. Fear. Power. And perhaps, revenge.
Reacting to that, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma responded—not with fire, but with surgical sarcasm.
CM Sarma’s Retort: Cold, Cutting
“Before sending me to jail, what’s the guarantee Rahul Gandhi won’t go first?” Sarma shot back during a press conference in Guwahati. “You come to a state and speak of jailing its elected Chief Minister? That doesn’t befit a national leader.”
Later on X (formerly Twitter), Sarma doubled down with his trademark sting:
“He came all the way to Assam just to utter these words? My best regards to you, Rahul ji. Enjoy a good meal at Assam’s expense.”
The post dripped sarcasm but masked something deeper—an acknowledgment that Rahul’s words had landed, perhaps more sharply than expected.
A Clash Beyond Politics
This isn’t BJP vs. Congress anymore. What’s unfolding in Assam is a psychological duel—between a man who rules with thunder and another who’s decided to strike with lightning.
Gandhi’s accusations were relentless: that Sarma acts less like a public servant and more like a “land-hungry king.” He alleged corruption, cronyism, and corporate collusion with “Adani-Ambani types” monopolizing the state’s resources. He claimed Sarma’s governance is about real estate deals, not public welfare. And then came the most stinging line of the day:
“He blusters. He bellows. But look into his eyes—you’ll see fear.”
The Personal Is Now Political
Gandhi’s attack wasn’t just rhetorical—it was emotional theatre. His voice surged over the monsoon breeze, his words calibrated for maximum sting. And the crowd roared. The kind of roar that might make even seasoned strongmen flinch.
Sarma, on the other hand, projected calm. He invoked his record, questioned Rahul’s credibility, and dismissed the threats as nothing more than theatrics from a man “out on bail in several cases.”
But beneath the verbal duel, a real question brews across Assam’s tea stalls, living rooms, and village squares:
Is Assam’s strongest man rattled—or just reacting?
Old Allegations, New Fire
This isn’t the first time Sarma has been in the eye of the storm. From his powerful days in the Tarun Gogoi-led Congress government to now, controversies have followed him—be it the Louis Berger bribery scandal or irregularities in NC Hills.
And Rahul knows it. His Chaygaon attack was loaded with the history Sarma has long distanced himself from.
Still, the CM stands his ground. “Let people judge me by my work, not by a man whose only job is to incite,” he said.
Gandhi’s Gamble
For Rahul Gandhi, Assam is a high-stakes gamble. He’s betting that people are tired of “strongman” politics—that beneath Sarma’s commanding voice lies a growing vulnerability. That the air of invincibility can be pierced with just the right amount of public pressure and political storytelling.
“He’s no king. He’s no savior. He’s scared,” Rahul insisted in Chaygaon.
And the People?
Caught between Gandhi and Sarma, Assam’s voters now face a question bigger than party loyalty:
Is this about governance—or about the ghosts each man is trying to exorcise?
2026 won’t just be a political contest. It will be a referendum on who the people believe: The deliverer who calls the shots—or the challenger who claims the house is built on fear.
ALSO READ: “Watch His Face on TV—There’s Fear in His Eyes”: Rahul Gandhi Targets Assam CM