In a surprising turn of events, the Congress party has lost its stronghold in Samaguri following the recent Assam bypolls, with senior Congress leader Rakibul Hussain raising eyebrows by attributing the defeat to the BJP’s tactics involving “beef.” Hussain, who had been a five-time MLA from Samaguri and had won the seat in the 2021 Assembly elections, claimed that the BJP won the Muslim-majority constituency by appealing to voters with promises related to beef, a controversial topic in Assam’s politics.
The recent bypolls saw the BJP sweeping all five Assembly seats, with Samaguri being the most notable, given Hussain’s long-held dominance there. The bypoll was triggered by Hussain’s election to the Lok Sabha, and his son, Tanzil Hussain, was the Congress candidate for the seat. However, Tanzil lost to the BJP’s Diplu Ranjan Sarmah.
Speaking at a rally in Lakhimpur’s Ranganadi over the weekend, Rakibul Hussain accused Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and the BJP of betraying their Hindutva agenda. He alleged that the BJP “wooed” voters, especially from the Bengali Muslim community, by offering beef, which he said contradicted the BJP’s supposed commitment to Hindu values. Hussain also took aim at the BJP for allegedly abandoning the interests of “ethnic Assamese communities” in North and Upper Assam, accusing Sarma of being “two-faced.”
Hussain’s comments come at a time when the BJP has made targeting Bengali Muslims a key element of its political strategy in Assam, often casting them as “outsiders.” However, Hussain’s comments about the consumption of beef could fuel stereotypes and deepen the polarization, especially as it plays into the BJP’s Hindutva narrative.
In response, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma turned Hussain’s remarks back on him. On Sunday, Sarma publicly challenged Hussain, stating that his government would be willing to impose a beef ban in Assam if Congress formally requested it. Sarma said, “I want to tell Rakibul Hussain that beef should be banned, as he himself said it is wrong… So, I will write to Bhupen Borah (Assam Congress president) and ask him if he also advocates banning beef in line with Rakibul Hussain, and just inform me. I will ban beef completely in the next Assembly (accordingly). Then the BJP, AGP, CPI(M), nobody will be able to offer… Hindus, Muslims, and Christians, all should stop eating beef, and all problems will be solved.”
The exchange has added further fuel to the political fire in Assam, with the Congress now grappling with the fallout of its bypoll loss and the divisive discourse surrounding beef. While the Congress tries to regroup, Sarma’s provocative response has left little room for reconciliation, setting the stage for a deeper political divide in the state.
