Guwahati: A BJP legislator in Assam filed a complaint against Congress MP Rakibul Hussain before the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) on Saturday, alleging that the Lok Sabha MP had caused "significant communal tension" during the by-election campaign by making repeated "eating of beef" remarks.
In the complaint submitted via the Nagaon district returning officer, Barhampur MLA Jitu Goswami charged Hussain with using offensive language during the campaign.
According to him, such statements are against the Model Code of Conduct, and the frequent use of "these provocative words," which are extensively disseminated by news outlets and social media sites, has the potential to sow division among various populations.
The MLA said in the complaint against Rakibul Hussain, "His statements regarding 'eating of beef' have been reported in various campaign meetings and media briefings, causing significant communal tension in our community."
Goswami called on the CEC to move quickly to resolve the matter and included proof to back up his claims.
Meanwhile, at a press conference earlier in the day at his home in Samaguri, Hussain reaffirmed the assertion that beef was given at a BJP-organised gathering on October 23 in the constituency's 13th Mile area.
He further insisted that a fight between members of the ruling party itself had broken out at the location over the matter, saying, "The BJP, which goes around speaking against cow slaughter, has stooped to this level to win an election."
Hussain encouraged the RSS to look into the issue on its own and stated that he was prepared to answer any questions the Election Commission might have about his assertion.
Five assembly constituencies in Assam will go for bye-polls in November as these seats got vacant following the election of five MLAs to the lower house of the Parliament in the 2024 general elections.
Out of these five assembly seats, four were earlier held by the BJP and its allies. Congress has only one seat-Samaguri, which is a bastion of former Assam minister Rakibul Hussain.
Hussain has been representing the Samaguri in the Assembly since 2001. He has not lost a single election in the last 23 years.
The senior Congress leader challenged AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal in the Dhubri Lok Sabha seat in the parliamentary elections. This seat was held by Ajmal since 2009. Hussain pulled a spectacular win in Dhubri by a margin of more than 10 lakh votes, putting a stop to Ajmal's hold in that seat.
Now the Samaguri assembly seat is vacant, and Hussain's son Tanjil Hussain was fielded by the Congress party to contest from this constituency in the upcoming byepoll.
However, the BJP has been eyeing to oust Congress from Samaguri this time. The ruling party has thrown its top leaders into the campaign for the byelections. (IANS)
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