Congress Accuses Himanta Biswa Sarma Of Promoting Hatred; Assam BJP Deletes Rifle Video

The Congress has launched a sharp attack on the BJP after a controversial video posted from the BJP Assam X handle allegedly showed Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma firing a rifle at two figures portrayed as minorities. The opposition accused the ruling party of deliberately spreading hatred and normalising violence through official social media platforms, calling for strict judicial action.

The clip, which was later deleted, carried the caption "point-blank shot" and appeared to depict Sarma aiming a gun at two individuals-one shown wearing a skull cap and another with a beard. Congress leaders argued that the imagery was not accidental or satirical, but a deliberate attempt to incite hostility against minority communities. They maintained that deleting the post did little to address the damage, as the video had already been widely downloaded and circulated.

Congress general secretary K C Venugopal described the video as an alarming escalation in hate-driven politics. He said content shared from an official BJP handle showing what he called the "targeted killing of minorities" could not be brushed aside as online trolling. Venugopal urged the judiciary to intervene immediately, arguing that such material amounted to a dangerous endorsement of violence and should face legal consequences.

Echoing the demand, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate blamed the BJP's top leadership, questioning the silence of constitutional institutions. Another party spokesperson, Shama Mohammed, linked the controversy to what she described as a broader assault on constitutional values, accusing the BJP of hypocrisy over its inclusive slogans while allegedly allowing divisive content to circulate from official accounts.

The row also drew reactions from outside the Congress. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi criticised both the BJP and the Election Commission, saying the video represented one of the most extreme examples of targeted political hatred online. She claimed that while the post was eventually taken down, the lack of swift institutional action highlighted what she called selective enforcement of rules.

Opposition leaders are now pressing for legal scrutiny and oversight by both the courts and the Election Commission, arguing that political parties must be held accountable for content shared through official channels. The BJP, meanwhile, has not issued a detailed response to the allegations surrounding the deleted video from its Assam unit.