Guwahati : Assam Congress president Bhupen Borah on Tuesday alleged that All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) chief Badruddin Ajmal has secret ties with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

According to Borah, “this is the reason police have not taken any action against Ajmal after his provocative statement which has hurt the sentiment of the Hindu community”.

The Congress leader claimed that the AIUDF chief’s statement could create communal disharmony in the state yet the BJP government is resistant to take any stern action.

Borah said: “Earlier we saw that Assam police under Sarma jumped into action against Jignesh Mevani on a very small issue and all went all the way to Gujarat to arrest him. Even a teacher named Victor Das of Guwahati was also arrested for posting something adverse against the state government’s recruitment drive.”

He asked whether the law is the same for all or not under BJP rule in Assam.

Borah said that Ajmal has been spared because he has deep links with Himanta Biswa Sarma.

“Had it been any person other than Ajmal, the Chief Minister would have initiated action against him,” he added.

Congress leader further said that “the people of Assam hate Badruddin Ajmal”.

He also criticised Assam Minister Pijush Hazarika for his comment against Ajmal’s statement.

He advised Hindus to follow the same formula for getting married as Muslims do.

The AIUDF leader had said that if Hindu girls marry men at the age of 18-20 years, they can have a good number of children.

Ajmal’s comment drew wide-scale criticism from many corners.

Leader of Opposition in Assam Debabrata Saikia lodged a police complaint against the AIUDF chief for his remarks. Many other organisations including Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) party have also filed complaints against Badruddin Ajmal across the state.

Later, Ajmal tendered an apology for his remarks. However, he also claimed that his comments were twisted and given a new turn.

He said: “I had no intentions of hurting the sentiments of any community. I have not targeted anybody… Yet, if it hurt anybody, I deeply regret my statement.” — IANS