Guwahati, April 2: The political firestorm in Central Guwahati has reached a fever pitch as the regional Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) issued a scathing rebuttal to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s personal allegations against their candidate, Kunki Chowdhury and her mother. In a powerful social media statement, the AJP framed the Chief Minister’s rhetoric as a betrayal of women’s dignity, calling it the ultimate evidence of the failure of the “Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao” slogan. The party asserted that the talk of women’s empowerment has withered away in the face of a desperate political conspiracy designed to smear a “daughter of Assam” just six days before the April 9 polls.
The exchange follows Sarma’s explosive press interaction in Khowang on Thursday, where he accused Kunki’s mother, Sujata Gurung Chowdhury, of harbouring “anti-national” views for allegedly supporting incarcerated activists Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid. Sarma also triggered a religious row by presenting images of Gurung consuming beef, claiming it was a direct challenge to the beliefs of Sanatani Dharma followers and an affront to local traditions. The Chief Minister further escalated the conflict by questioning AJP President Lurinjyoti Gogoi’s decision to field Chowdhury for such a prestigious seat, suggesting her family’s alleged ideological leanings make her unfit for representation.
Responding to these attacks, the AJP leadership appealed to the state’s cultural and moral conscience by drawing a direct parallel to the Mahabharata. The party stated that, just as Krishna became the saviour during the disrobing of Draupadi, the Assamese people, who know how to respect women, will become the saviours of Kunki Chowdhury at the ballot box. They maintained that the voters of Assam would provide a definitive answer to these tactics, which they characterise as an invasion of privacy and a cheap attempt to polarise the electorate.
With campaigning entering its most volatile phase, the contest between the 27-year-old UCL graduate and the BJP’s veteran political leader has shifted from policy issues like urban infrastructure to a deeply personal and ideological battle. While the Chief Minister continues to push a narrative centred on national security and Sanatani sentiment, the AJP is attempting to turn the aggressive rhetoric into a question of “Asomiya Identity” and the protection of respect and dignity of local women. As the state moves toward the single-phase election on April 9, the outcome in Central Guwahati is increasingly seen as a litmus test of whether personal attacks or grassroots issues will resonate more with the modern Assamese voter.
