Shinde, other rebel Sena MLAs get 'BJP protection' in Assam, Opposition cries foul

Opposition asked why the rebel Shiv Sena MLAs were being accorded 'royal treatment' at a time lakhs of people in Assam were grappling with one of the worst floods

The BJP leaders in Assam literally provided "protection" to at least 40 Shiv Sena MLAs led by Maharashtra minister, Eknath Shinde since they were shifted from Surat in Gujarat to Guwahati on Wednesday morning following the political crisis in the Maha Vikash Aghadi government.

As a chartered flight carrying at least 89 Shiv Sena workers and the MLAs landed at LGBI airport at Borjhar in Guwahati, young BJP Lok Sabha member from Assam, Pallab Lochan Das and MLA Sushanta Borgohain were seen welcoming them and overseeing the arrangements for their transportation. Three buses of Assam State Transport Corporation were used to bring them to Radisson Blu hotel in Guwahati. Sources said the MLAs were closeted at Radisson hotel whereas other Shiv Sena workers checked in in other hotels.

Shinde told news channels that 40 MLAs are with him and they were committed to the Hindutva ideology of Balasaheb Thackery. "We want to take it forward," he said at the airport.

Also Read: Shinde’s mutiny: Rebels, MVA playing game of chicken?

Before they reached Radisson Blu, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, one of BJP's "crisis managers" visited the hotel. Sarma, however, left the premises before the Shiv Sena MLAs entered. Hours later, Sarma boarded a train to take stock of the flood situation at Kampur in central Assam's Nagaon district, about 80 km away. He was later seen in a boat taking stock of the flood scene in Nagaon and neighbouring Morigaon districts.

Two senior ministers, Pijush Hazarika and Jayanta Malla Baruah, MP Pallab Lochan Das and MLA Borgohain, however, remained in the hotel for hours while mediapersons were asked to stay out of the hotel gate. The BJP leaders later left the hotel. Sources in BJP stated that the four Assam leaders did not take part in the meeting Shinde held with the rebel MLAs accompanying him. "It was a sudden decision taken after the MLAs were attacked at Surat. It was decided to bring them here for safety and protection," a BJP leader told DH. Shiv Sena is almost non-existent in Assam.

Opposition cries foul

Opposition Congress asked why the rebel Shiv Sena MLAs were being accorded "royal treatment" at a time lakhs of people in Assam were grappling with one of the worst floods. "When lakhs have been affected by floods, thousands are battling for lives, the BJP government has made the state an epicentre of petty politics," leader of Congress legislator party, Debabrata Saikia said.

Also Read: Sharad Pawar warned Uddhav Thackeray about growing resentment in Sena, MVA: Report

When asked by reporters in another programme, Assam CM Sarma said he was not privy to much information about the development. He, however, said that he may meet a few "MLA friends" for five to ten minutes. "Now I am busy with flood-related work. Today I am visiting Nagaon, tomorrow I am going to Silchar," he said.

Sarma sarcastically said it was a positive development that people were visiting the state amid the devastating floods. "Since we are facing a serious flood, all hotel rooms are empty. So if tourists from other parts are coming and staying in our hotels, this will bring revenue to us," he said.

Sources said a few more Shiv Sena and Independent MLAs from Maharashtra may join Shinde and his team in Guwahati soon.

Lurinjyoti Gogoi, chief of Asam Jatiya Parishad (AJP), a new regional party said, "I consider the recent political happenings in Maharashtra to be a blatant attempt by the BJP to destroy Marathi Regionalism. It has always been the strategy of the BJP to subjugate regional forces and narratives. It is unacceptable and unforgivable." The AJP was formed out of the anti-CAA agitation in Assam in 2019.