Assam BJP MLA Wishes Pet Python 'Happy Hunting' After Snake Goes Missing

BJP MLA from Khumtai in Assam, Mrinal Saikia, recently wished his pet python “happy hunting” after the snake went missing and was not visible over the past few days. The MLA said that the python must be out for hunting before it slipped into its winter hibernation and therefore wished it luck. “I have a Python in my house campus which sometimes sit beside me, sometimes sit on my chair majestically and sometimes guard my gate to the horror of my visitors. Nowadays he is busy in pre-winter hunting and I have not seen him for three days. Wish him happy hunting,” tweeted Saikia.

The 10-feet-long python, rescued by fishermen about 18 months ago, has fondly been named “Sikandar” by Saikia who likes to live out of the wilderness. “Local fisherman brought the python to me as they are aware that I keep wild animals at my home. I treated the snake which bruised itself in the nets and since then the python stays with me. My house is no less than a jungle and I live out of the wilderness. The python moves around and possibly hunts on the fowls at night,” he said.

Posting pictures of the snake on his social media handle, Saikia said, “No, the snake has attacked no one. We do not disturb it. Sikandar lazes around in every corner of the house and sometimes it rests for several days on the trees.” Besides the python, the BJP MLA is known to have turkey, black hens and rabbits as pets who move around in the wilderness of his house.

During the recent floods in Assam, that left thousands homeless in various districts across the state, the BJP MLA emerged as a ‘saviour’ for the marooned. With the help of a plantain raft and aided by others, the 52-year-old leader rescued stranded people and livestock in his constituency of Golaghat in Upper Assam.

Wading through waist-deep water, Saikia tried to reach out to people in distress. Besides merely rescuing people, he also used his mobile kitchen, the idea of which was conceived by him last year, to fed those stranded on the streets.

“During floods, we often find people struggling to cook their food despite being provided with relief material. Keeping that in mind, we launched the mobile kitchen service. Our basic objective is to ensure that the inmates of relief camps have access to one square meal a day,” said Saikia.