Himanta remarks on Rahul Gandhi have triggered a fresh political confrontation after Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma attacked the Congress leader over the arrest of party candidate Milan Pradhan in West Bengal.
Speaking to reporters during his visit to Madhupur Sattra in Cooch Behar on September 19, Sarma called Gandhi a “mad person” and referred to changes in his appearance, including his beard. His comments came after Gandhi criticised Pradhan’s arrest as an act of targeting the Opposition.
Sarma also questioned the Congress decision to field Pradhan in the Nandigram Assembly bypoll. He argued that police had grounds to act because pending criminal cases and arrest warrants existed against the candidate.
What Himanta said about Rahul Gandhi
The Himanta remarks on Rahul Gandhi centred on Gandhi’s criticism of the arrest and Sarma’s defence of the police action.
“Rahul Gandhi is a mad person; sometimes you see him with a beard, sometimes clean-shaven,” Sarma said, according to India Today NE. He also questioned what kind of candidate Congress had chosen for Nandigram, citing reports of murder cases registered against Pradhan in 2007.
However, Sarma’s comments about Gandhi’s appearance were separate from the legal issues surrounding Pradhan. The Assam chief minister mainly defended the arrest by pointing to pending cases connected with the 2007 Nandigram land acquisition protests.
According to West Bengal Police, Pradhan was arrested on the basis of four pending arrest warrants involving non-bailable cases. The allegations include murder, attempt to murder, abduction, disappearance of evidence, house trespass and rioting with arms.
Nandigram arrest fuels political dispute
The Himanta remarks on Rahul Gandhi came amid growing tension over the Nandigram bypoll. Pradhan was arrested on September 18, shortly after Mamata Banerjee’s faction announced support for his candidature after withdrawing its own nominee.
A court in Haldia subsequently remanded Pradhan to judicial custody until October 3. The Nandigram bypoll is scheduled for October 6, meaning the Congress candidate will remain in custody during most of the campaign period.
Police have maintained that the arrest relates to pending warrants and cases dating back to the 2007 agitation. The police position, therefore, differs sharply from the political interpretation offered by Opposition leaders.
Rahul Gandhi and Opposition response
Gandhi criticised Pradhan’s arrest and described it as targeting the Opposition and a threat to democratic politics, according to the report on Sarma’s comments.
Meanwhile, the Congress and Trinamool Congress questioned the timing of the arrest. Mamata Banerjee alleged that the authorities had revived an old case after her faction announced support for Pradhan. The BJP rejected those allegations and maintained that the action was based on pending criminal cases rather than political considerations.
The dispute has therefore developed on two separate fronts: the legal status of Pradhan and the political claims surrounding the timing of his arrest.
Why the remarks matter now
The Himanta remarks on Rahul Gandhi add another layer to an already heated political contest in West Bengal. Sarma has positioned the arrest as a matter of police duty, while Congress and its allies have raised questions about the circumstances surrounding the action.
At the same time, the Nandigram contest has gained wider national attention because of the involvement of Congress, the Trinamool Congress and the BJP. The arrest has also complicated Congress’s campaign strategy, as Pradhan’s judicial custody limits his ability to campaign directly.
For now, the central facts remain that Pradhan faces pending cases linked to the 2007 Nandigram agitation, police arrested him under existing warrants, and a court has ordered his judicial custody until October 3. The competing claims about political motivation remain allegations made by the respective parties.
As the Nandigram bypoll approaches, the Himanta remarks on Rahul Gandhi are likely to remain part of the wider political exchange surrounding the contest. The immediate focus, however, remains on Pradhan’s legal proceedings and the campaign for the October 6 poll.
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