I am an ‘ada bepari’, know nothing about the ship: Himanta

Guwahati, November 4, 2018:

Assam’s Finance and Health Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, said “I am an ada bepari (ginger trader) and as such, I do not know anything about the ship”.

He made the comment when journalists had sought his reaction on Thursday’s killings of five people by unidentified gunmen in Kherbari-Bisonibari village in Dhola. He said he was not the right person to talk about it. There is the home department, he said.

The Minister said he was against bandhs, whoever called them. He advised the media not to publish news related to bandh call.

“Bandhs have been banned in Assam by the Gauhati High Court and declaring any bandh is contempt of court,” he said.

Sarma alleged that a certain section of people thinks that by creating a communal tension, they would ensure the BJP’s defeat in the upcoming panchayat elections but “they have a wrong conception as they are not going to succeed”.

Asked about the intelligence report that said about possible violence, he said, “If the intelligence report was shared with the media, then what kind of intelligence it was”.

He clarified that Gunotsav was supposed to be postponed as there were security concerns and not because the government supported the bandh called by various Bengali organisations.