Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi has sought an apology from Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on 5 May for making a “derogatory” remark against women during a panchayat election rally.
In a post on X, Gaurav Gogoi, the Deputy Leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha, said, “Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s allegation that women of Assam would compromise to secure a job is disgraceful.”
“The fact that the chief minister makes this statement at a political rally during the ongoing panchayat elections marks a new low for the political discourse in Assam,” the Congress MP said on Sunday night.
“Assamese women are highly respected and empowered in the society,” he added. “From the days of the freedom struggle to the present day, the women have done our society proud,” Gogoi said.
The Congress leader added, “The chief minister should be mature enough to apologise.”
What did Himanta Biswa Sarma say?
Assam’s Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma reportedly said recently that women had to “compromise” to secure jobs during the Congress regime.
During panchayat election raly on April 28, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma reportedly mentioned a witness statement from the report of the Justice (Retd) Biplab Kumar Sharma Commission on irregularities in the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) examinations for 2013 and 2014, when Congress was in power.
According to news agency PTI, Biswa Sarma said the witness’ statement maintained that women “had to adopt a wrong path” to get jobs during the Congress regime.
Meanwhile, Assam Congress president Bhupen Kumar Borah claimed in a post on X on Tuesday, “Yesterday, BJP’s most foul-mouthed CM @HimantaBiswa made an outrageous comment. He said that during the 15-year-long Congress rule in Assam (2001-15), women had to get jobs by offering their virginity.”
Bhupen Kumar Borah started his post by mentioning “virginity-for-jobs” claim.
Tagging the President, Prime Minister, Vice President, and the National Commission for Women, Borah added, “These women are daughters, mothers, and sisters. To imply that they offered their virginity for jobs is a condemnable and punishable statement.”
Following this, the Assam Congress on Thursday filed multiple police complaints against Sarma for his alleged derogatory remarks against women. Police are, however, yet to register the FIRs and said they are investigating the complaints, news agency PTI reported.
Sarma’s response
Sarma said his remarks were based on the findings of the Justice (Retd.) Biplab Kumar Sharma Commission report, and not his own assertions.
Speaking to reporters after a public meeting ahead of the Panchayat polls in Darrang, Sarma was quoted by Asaam Tribune as saying, “It’s not me who’s making the allegation. What I said is already mentioned in the Biplab Sarma Committee report. I simply referred to it during my campaign speech.”
“If Congress finds it offensive, they should take it up with Biplab Sarma, not me,” Sarma was quoted as saying.
Sarma said he had cited a witness’ statement in the report, which claimed that women job aspirants were forced to “lose their chastity” to secure government jobs during the Congress tenure.