Poonam Nath

24-hour ultimatum to CM Sarma by APCC over remark on women, says, "‘Apologise or face legal action’

Digital Desk: In a major turn of events, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has been given a 24-hour ultimatum by the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) to publicly apologize for his recent statement that women in the state had "compromised their dignity" to obtain government jobs.

The party claims that this comment has deeply insulted Assam women.

In a press conference on Tuesday, APCC President Bhupen Borah launched a stinging attack on the Chief Minister, calling his remark "not only demeaning but also outright false".

Borah hitting out at CM Sarma, said, "Was he blindfolded like Dhritarashtra during those years when he was a cabinet minister in the Congress government?"

He also added that "thousands of women were appointed as schoolteachers, professors, ASHA workers, nurses, and in various other government roles during the 15 years of Congress rule."

Lashing out at CM, Bhupen Borah quoted Himanta Biswa Sarma's words, "sudden moral outrage (both hypocritical and politically motivated)."

Borah further denounced the statement and stated that the party is thinking of taking the Chief Minister to court. The Chief Minister has publicly degraded these women and their families with his remarks.

We shall direct the Assam Pradesh Mahila Congress to seek legal recourse from the High Court if he does not issue an apology within a day," he said.

Senior Assam Pradesh Mahila Congress member Mira Borthakur also criticized the Chief Minister's remarks.

The APCC leaders have also urged civil society groups and women's organizations in Assam to band together to oppose what they call a "disgraceful attack on the integrity of working women."

The controversy arose from a remark made by the Chief Minister during an electoral rally before the Panchayat polls, in which he claimed that women who got government posts during the Congress era had compromised their dignity.