A political controversy has surfaced in Assam after Sujata Gurung Chowdhury, mother of AJP candidate Kunki Chowdhury, announced her decision to file a defamation case against Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over remarks allegedly made during the recent Assembly election campaign.
In an open letter posted on X, Sujata described herself as a common woman whose name was repeatedly mentioned by the chief minister during election rallies. She accused Sarma of making statements with “malafide intention” that led to her public humiliation and endangered her family’s safety.
Sujata said the defamation suit would seek symbolic compensation of Re 1 along with a public apology from the chief minister. She alleged that Sarma labelled her a “beef eater”, “non-sanatani” and “anti-India communist” without knowing anything about her personal life, religion, culture or ideology.
According to her, the remarks were politically motivated and aimed at targeting her daughter, Kunki Chowdhury, who contested the Guwahati Central Assembly seat as an opposition alliance candidate. Kunki, a first-time contestant, lost the election to BJP candidate Vijay Kumar Gupta.
Sujata stated that she had initially avoided responding publicly during the election campaign but decided to speak out after the polls concluded. While congratulating the chief minister on his victory, she asserted that every citizen has the constitutional right to choose their religion, food habits, culture and ideology.
She further alleged that photographs of her minor children were circulated publicly during the controversy, putting their safety at risk.
Earlier, Sujata had approached the National Commission for Women with a complaint accusing Sarma of making “false, baseless and malicious” statements intended to defame her and politically damage her daughter’s campaign.