‘Learn About Assam’s Culture’: Kejriwal Replies to Himanta Sarma’s ‘Threat’ in First Rally

A day after Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma “warned” Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and called him a “coward,” the AAP supremo on Sunday replied saying that open threats does not befit a leader.

Addressing his first political rally in Assam, Kejriwal highlighted the “threats” issued by Sarma and said that he has only done “dirty politics” in the last seven years in power.

“He (Sarma) was threatening me, saying if I come we will put him in jail. The people of Assam are not like that, they are hospitable. They don’t give threats. Himanta Biswa Sarma should learn about Assam’s culture and tradition,” he said.

He also added that people of Assam do not threaten their guests, but offer them tea.

“When you come to Delhi, please come to my house and have tea. If you have some time, have food with me. Then I will show you the entire Delhi,” he said.

This comes as Sarma has called Kejriwal a coward, who was “hiding behind the veil of immunity in Delhi assembly and uttering white lies.”

“Mr Arvind Kejriwal is a coward who’s hiding behind the veil of immunity in Delhi Assembly and uttering white lies.Let him say there’s a corruption case pending against me outside the Assembly premise and I will sue him in the same manner I did with his colleague Manish Sisodia,” Sarma said.

Sarma had filed a defamation case against former Delhi deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, after the latter alleged that the Assam government had given contracts to his wife’s firms PPE kits above market rates during the the coronavirus pandemic.

Kejriwal is in Guwahatai with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. The two leaders landed in Borjhar airport in Guwahati at around 1.15 pm on Sunday, and addressed a rally in the state.

This is not the first time the two leaders have been involved in a war of words.

In August last year, Sarma’s declaration about closing 36 provincialised schools in the state triggered a Twitter war with his Delhi counterpart, Arvind Kejriwal.

The Delhi CM on Friday told Sarma that they both should learn from each other, as “only then will India become the number one country”. Kejriwal’s response came after the Assam chief minister lashed out at him over the amalgamation of schools, asking him to “do his homework” before commenting.

Sharing a news item claiming that the Assam government closed 34 schools due to poor results, Kejriwal had tweeted in Hindi on Wednesday, “Closing schools is not the solution. We actually need to open a lot of new schools across the country. Instead of shutting down schools, fix them by improving education.”

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