GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday slammed the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee for “poorly handling” the issues raised by state Congress leader Angkita Dutta, who has accused Indian Youth Congress (IYC) president Srinivas BV of harassing her.
Dutta has also lodged a police complaint against the IYC leader.
Sarma said that while the matter was an “internal matter of the Congress”, if the issue continued to linger and was not addressed at the appropriate time, then the police or the CID would have to step in since an FIR has been lodged by Dutta.
“The way the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee has handled the entire matter is unfortunate. Apparently, the APCC has considered her (Angkita) to be on the wrong path, and the IYC president, against whom the allegations have been made, is on the right path. But I would have considered it right if the Assam Congress would have addressed the issue on behalf of Dutta, who is a Congress leader from the state and a daughter of Assam. On the contrary, we have seen a different picture altogether,” the chief minister said.
“I still believe that it is Congress’ internal matter. If the problem is solved within the party, then neither the Assam CID (criminal investigation department) nor the Assam Police will have a role to play in it. However, if the matter remains unaddressed for a long time, then the police will have to take action in accordance with the law at some point in time. More so, because an FIR has been lodged and the National Commission of Women (NCW) too has written a letter to the Assam DGP in this regard,” he said while speaking to media persons on the sidelines of a programme.
Dutta had, in a series of tweets, accused the IYC president of allegedly harassing her and discriminating against her.
Subsequently, the IYC president, irked at the allegations, sent a defamation notice to Dutta accusing her of using “utterly unparliamentary, undignified, defamatory, malicious words” against him.
The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) had on Thursday issued a show-cause notice to Dutta over the allegations she levelled against Srinivas BV, seeking an explanation from her as to why disciplinary action should not be taken against her.
Dutta had also filed a police complaint against Srinivas at Dispur police station on Thursday accusing Srinivas of harassing her. Dutta had mentioned in the police complaint that she had informed the party’s high office-bearers but no action was taken. “I, therefore, request your good office to take immediate action against Shri Srinivas BV who committed the above explained offences against me, by registering a case against him, under appropriate provisions of law,” she wrote in the complaint.
Meanwhile, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) on Friday clarified that, contrary to reports in a section of the media, the party has not received any official order from the All India Congress Committee (AICC) regarding any decision taken to suspend Dutta from the primary membership of the party.
APCC president Bhupen Kumar Borah, in an audio clip sent to the media, dismissed information given to the media by APCC working president Kamalakshya Purkayastha (that Dutta has been suspended from the party) as “unofficial” for which Purkayastha would be held accountable.
“The All India Congress Committee (AICC) has not informed the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) of any decision to suspend Angkita Dutta from the party,” Borah said.
The APCC chief said Dutta has already submitted a reply to the show-cause notice issued by the APCC within the timeframe mentioned in the show-cause notice, and that her reply has been forwarded to the All India Congress Committee.
Earlier, Borah said that he had requested Dutta not to make any statements in the media as there was a grievance mechanism within the party, to which she had agreed.
“But you (Angkita Dutta) have decided to go ahead with public confrontation rather than heeding to party discipline despite my assurance to resolve the matter,” he stated in the notice on Thursday, asking her to show cause within 24 hours why disciplinary action should not be taken against her.
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According to the APCC chief, Dutta has not submitted any verbal or written complaint about her allegations to the Congress’ general secretary in charge of Assam. “Such a stand goes against party discipline,” Borah said.
Reacting to the show-cause notice issued to her, Dutta told mediapersons as a woman, she was only speaking up for her rights, even as it was the prerogative of the party to take such a step.
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