Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on November 2 alleged that the BJP had brought Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to the state to manage divisions among five factions within the party.
Taking a swipe at Sarma’s involvement in the BJP’s political activities in Himachal Pradesh, Sukhu claimed that the party was struggling with internal differences and required the Assam Chief Minister’s intervention.
“That is why they brought in the Assam Chief Minister,” Sukhu said, referring to Sarma’s reported remark that he would attend the next swearing-in ceremony in Himachal Pradesh.
In response, Sukhu said Sarma would receive an invitation if the Congress returned to power in the state.
“When the Congress party forms the government again, we will invite all the Chief Ministers from every state. A formal invitation will be sent to each of them. So, we will definitely extend an invitation to the Chief Minister of Assam as well,” he said.
Commenting on the INDIA bloc rally in Delhi against alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Sukhu defended public demonstrations as an essential part of democracy.
“The role of the opposition is to raise the voice of the people — whether through rallies or movements; that is the hallmark of a democracy,” he said.
Sukhu described the rally as witnessing a massive turnout and said participants from Himachal Pradesh had also attended. He credited Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with highlighting alleged irregularities in the SIR exercise.
On the debate over electronic voting machines (EVMs), Sukhu said questions had been raised since 2024 and stressed the need to consider the timeline of the opposition to the SIR exercise in context. He noted that Himachal Pradesh held its Assembly election in 2022.
