The ongoing political battle between Assam’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress took a legal turn on Sunday, February 16, with both sides threatening lawsuits over allegations of defamation and character assassination.

The controversy erupted after Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh accused Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of orchestrating a “character assassination” campaign against Jorhat MP Gaurav Gogoi.

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In a social media post, Ramesh announced that Congress would take immediate legal action against Sarma for what he described as “the worst type of political slander.”

Reacting sharply to the allegations, Sarma dismissed the claims and asserted that Assam’s political future would be decided by its people, not by the Congress. “Who will be the former and present Chief Minister will be decided by the people of Assam—not by you,” Sarma said.

He further welcomed legal action against him, stating that the Assam government would also initiate its own legal proceedings against the Congress.

The tensions between the BJP and Congress in Assam have been mounting since the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where Gogoi secured a victory in Jorhat despite an aggressive BJP campaign.

The Congress has since accused the ruling party of corruption and governance failures, positioning itself as the alternative ahead of the 2026 Assam Assembly elections.

Gogoi, a prominent Congress leader and son of former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, has been vocal in criticizing Sarma-led BJP government.

He has repeatedly highlighted what he calls the “blatant corruption and black deeds” of the state administration. Congress believes that the latest allegations against Gogoi and his wife are part of a “mischievous, baseless, and malicious campaign” by the BJP to distract from its own governance shortcomings.

Jairam Ramesh went a step further, comparing Sarma’s tactics to those of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing both of “defamation, distortion, and diversion.” He predicted that the BJP government in Assam would meet an electoral defeat within the next twelve months.

In response to the BJP’s allegations, Gogoi reaffirmed his stance, expressing confidence that Assamese voters would see through what he called the ruling party’s desperate tactics. “We will take appropriate action against this defamation. However, I have full faith in the people of Assam, who can recognize this slander for what it is,” he said.