Guwahati: Assam witnessed widespread protests on Saturday as Congress workers across districts burnt effigies of Cabinet Minister Ashok Singhal, demanding his resignation and a public apology over his controversial remarks against the Congress party.
The uproar began after a viral video from a public meeting in Dhekiajuli constituency, where Singhal allegedly mocked the Congress, asking whether the “animal called Congress” still existed in the region. Outraged, Congress workers took to the streets in Upper Assam, Lower Assam, Barak Valley, and Guwahati, shouting slogans such as “Arrest Singhal,” “Stop insulting freedom fighters,” and “We will not tolerate insults to Congress.”
Protesters accused the minister of behaving like a “roadside goon” and likened his conduct to that of “Chambal dacoits.” They demanded that Singhal be removed from the Cabinet and apologise publicly for what they called an “insult not just to Congress, but to India’s freedom struggle and democratic values.”
District Congress units in Karbi Anglong, Biswanath, Darrang, Hojai, Morigaon, Majuli, Barpeta, Golaghat, Bongaigaon, Jorhat, and Guwahati staged demonstrations. At Guwahati’s Manavendra Sharma Complex, hundreds gathered condemning the remarks. Senior Congress leaders, including Dr. Ranjan Goswami, said Singhal’s words were “shameful, undemocratic, and an insult to Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and all freedom fighters.”
The Congress has warned that protests will intensify unless Ashok Singhal withdraws his remarks and tenders an unconditional apology.
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