NEW DELHI: Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi on Monday alleged that a convoy of party leaders, including himself, was pelted with stones in Assam by people he described as “BJP workers.”Gogoi, who is from Assam, said former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel and Sivamoni Bora, the party’s candidate for the upcoming Nagaon Lok Sabha seat bypoll, were also among those targeted.“This is the state of the car belonging to the Congress candidate Smt. Sivamoni Bora. AICC Secretary Manoj Chauhan was inside and has been hit by a stone in his ribs. Looks like BJP has been organizing training programs on stone pelting,” the Jorhat MP posted on X, sharing an image of a damaged car.Gogoi also posted a video of the alleged attack and hit out at Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and the Election Commission of India (ECI).“Of course Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma can send Assam police to Gujarat, Delhi and Maharashtra but now will be totally incapable of finding these stone pelters within Assam. Suddenly Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma will plead incompetence. Election Commission of India will not order any transfers or suspensions,” the Assam Congress president added.Congress general secretary KC Venugopal also hit out at the BJP, accusing Sarma, a former Congress leader, of sending “goons” to target political rivals.“Launching a brutal stone pelting attack on our Assam In-Charge, Ex. Chhattisgarh CM Sh. Bhupesh Baghel ji, Assam PCC President Sh. Gaurav Gogoi ji and our Nagaon candidate Smt. Shivamoni Bora ji shows how desperately shaken this hooligan BJP regime is,” Venugopal wrote on X.
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He also accused the ECI of remaining “silent and helpless” and alleged that the BJP had “absolutely vitiated the atmosphere” ahead of the bypoll.“Has the ECI forgotten that during elections, they are responsible for law and order in the area? Will the ECI dare to take a single decision to punish the ruling regime for their blatantly criminal, unconstitutional and violent means to subvert the elections?” Venugopal asked.The Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency will vote on October 6, with counting of votes scheduled for October 9. The bypoll was necessitated by the resignation of Nagaon’s then MP Pradyut Bordoloi in March. Bordoloi also resigned from the Congress and joined the ruling BJP.