Assam: Villagers chase Congress MLA Rekibuddin Ahmed in Chamaria over alleged BJP links

Guwahati: A routine visit turned chaotic for Chhaygaon Congress MLA Rekibuddin Ahmed on Wednesday evening when a crowd of furious villagers chased him out of Santoli Bazar in the newly carved 27 No. Chamaria constituency in Assam.

Hundreds of local residents intercepted the Congress legislator while he was on his way to Bodla, raising “go back” slogans and accusing him of maintaining an “unholy nexus” with the BJP. Many alleged that Ahmed is close to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and branded him a “BJP agent.”

Most of the protesters belonged to the Bengali-speaking minority community, which forms nearly 95 percent of the Chamaria constituency.

They claimed that despite religious minorities facing repeated eviction drives, demolition of homes, and administrative harassment under the current government, Ahmed has not raised concerns in the Assembly or taken a public stand on issues affecting them. Residents also criticised Ahmed for being an “outsider” to the region.

Chamaria, previously split between the erstwhile Chhaygaon and Boko constituencies before delimitation, has never had the opportunity to elect a truly local candidate since independence, they argued.

They urged the Congress leadership to nominate a local face for the upcoming polls, alleging that both reserved-seat constraints in Boko and non-local candidates in Chhaygaon have sidelined local representation.

Caught off guard by the backlash, Ahmed was compelled to leave the area as the crowd grew more aggressive, with security personnel escorting him away from the unruly mob.