Guwahati: Assam Chief Minster Tarun Gogoi today said Congress MLA Nilamani Sendeka’s controversial comments on Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are condemnable and they are “not Assamese culture”.
“I condemn Nilamani Sen Deka’s comment. He has done wrong. I asked him to apologise. He has informed me that he has already apologised,” Gogoi told reporters here.
“When Himanta Biswa Sarma (former Congress leader now in BJP) was in our party and made such comments, I had reprimanded him too. Whether it is done by their party (BJP) or our party (Congress), it is not good. This is not Assamese culture,” he added.
Sendeka had made the comment at a public meeting at Nalbari on Sunday on the eve of Irani’s visit. The ruling party has distanced itself from Sendeka’s comment and condemned it.
Nilamoni Sen Deka, former state Agriculture minister, reportedly made the remarks at a public meeting in Nalbari.
“The MLA’s statement is his personal view and Congress is in no way connected with it.
The statement is condemnable, indecent, low grade and APCC does not take responsibility for it,” its chief spokesman Ripun Bora said on Sunday.
BJP workers protested in front of Congress headquarters here on Monday demanding Sendeka be handed over to them and immediately arrested.
They also demanded that he be expelled from Congress. This led to unruly scenes which forced police to burst tear gas shells. (PTI)
