Himanta Biswa Sarma: Rahul Gandhi listens to my advice on beard styles

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma took a swipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, alleging that Gandhi heeds his sartorial advice by altering his beard style. Sarma humorously claimed to influence Gandhi’s grooming decisions.

The Assam chief minister recalled his remark during the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ in 2022, where he compared Gandhi’s long beard to that of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. "Coincidentally, as soon as I said that Rahul Gandhi looked like Saddam Hussein, he shaved off his beard," Sarma said. "And after shaving off his beard, when I said that he looked like the Amul Boy, he grew a light beard… Rahul Gandhi does listen to my advice."

Sarma didn’t stop at Gandhi’s appearance. He took another dig, criticizing the Congress leader's choice of attire. "It's unfortunate for the country to have an opposition led by an individual who emphasizes wearing a t-shirt," Sarma remarked, questioning Gandhi's focus on trivial matters.

The Assam chief minister also accused Gandhi of carrying a non-Indian Constitution during his public rallies. Sarma pointed out that the Indian Constitution has a blue cover and suggested Gandhi might be displaying a different book, possibly even a Chinese Constitution. "If the Lal Kitab shown by Rahul Gandhi in his rallies is actually the Constitution of India, then why is the Congress against the UCC? Baba Saheb's Constitution says to implement the UCC, but the Congress manifesto says that they will bring Sharia law. So I doubt whether that book is our Constitution or not,” he asserted.

Sarma highlighted the ambitious plans of the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) should they secure 400 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The plans include constructing the Krishna Janmbhoomi temple in Mathura and the Kashi Vishwanath temple in place of the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi, implementing the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), and elevating India to the world's third-largest economy. "Why is Modi ji asking for 400 seats from the people of the country? The answers are - the work of Kashi and Mathura has to be completed legally, the country's economy has to be brought to the third place in the world, and UCC has to be implemented," Sarma said.