GUWAHATI: The Congress is facing criticism from Assam Minister Pijush Hazarika after making remarks on social media about his clothing choices. The dispute arose when the Congress accused Hazarika, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, of wearing a jacket worth 3.75 Lakhs, linking it to alleged “loot.”
In a tweet, INC Assam stated, “While CM @himantabiswa is pushing every Assamese deep into debts with every passing day, his close aide, master of #SyndicateRaj @Pijush_hazarika is wearing a jacket worth 3.75 Lakhs. This is a LOOT of monumental proportions.”
Hazarika responded by asserting that the Congress has an issue with a Dalit person wearing stylish clothes and clarified that he bought the jacket from Fancy Bazar Guwahati, not Italy. He posted on social media, “Main problem of @INCAssam is how a Dalit, like me, can wear stylish clothes. Yes, I buy first copies from Fancy Bazar & I am not ashamed of my aspirations. You should be ashamed to presume that anything good has to be Italian. What about this Italian’s shopping choices?”
The Congress retorted, urging Hazarika to stop dividing Assam on the basis of caste. “@Pijush_hazarika dangoria, people are searching frantically for the shop in Fancy Bazaar from where you bought the Jacket. Care to share the name of the shop, so that people can buy such jackets too?? And please stop dividing Assam on the basis of caste now, @BJP4Assam has already divided Assam in the name of religion & enough venom has already been spewed.”
Hazarika countered by bringing up Rahul Gandhi’s designer Italian Burberry jackets. He questioned, “@INCAssam has completely sidestepped the issue of Rahul Gandhi’s designer Italian Burberry Jackets and T-Shirts. From where has he purchased that? Is it from the “donation money” you are collecting?”
The comments have sparked controversy, with some accusing the Congress of making personal attacks. Nabarun Medhi, former BJP SC Morcha President, stated, “Congress is doing divide and rule as they never wanted a Dalit to rise. They can’t digest the fact a Dalit leader is on the rise. They should not make any personal attacks and such comments.”
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BJP Leader Ratna Singh commented, “Congress should not make personal remarks on corruption where their leaders are not clear, be it any leader of any category. Corruption is the USP of Congress. They don’t have the right to talk about others. Firstly, they should focus on their results as they have again lost in the NC Hills election.”
The social media feud comes after Hazarika played a crucial role in the BJP’s overwhelming victory in the recently held NC Hills election, where the party secured 25 out of 28 seats. The Congress faced a significant defeat, failing to secure a single seat.
This attire controversy echoes a previous incident where the BJP criticised Rahul Gandhi for wearing an expensive Burberry T-shirt during the “Bharat Jodo Yatra.” The BJP claimed the T-shirt cost more than Rs 41,000, sparking a similar controversy over political leaders’ clothing choices.