A video of Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar from a rally in Assam’s Bongaigaon on April 5 has surfaced online.
The clip has emerged at a time when the Congress is already facing criticism over party president Mallikarjun Kharge’s recent “illiterates” comment, keeping its campaign messaging under scrutiny at the time of elections.
In the video, now widely shared on social media, Kumar is seen addressing a public gathering and responding to a question on infiltration, a politically sensitive issue in Assam.
“All thieves have gathered together and joined the BJP…A journalist told me that infiltration is an issue, I said that the biggest infiltrator has come from Gujarat and he needs to be chased out of here along with Himanta Biswa Sarma…”
Infiltration debate dominates Assam politics
The resurfacing of the video comes amid an ongoing political focus on illegal migration in Assam. The BJP, led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, has consistently raised concerns around infiltration.
The development also follows closely on the heels of Mallikarjun Kharge’s controversial remark at a rally, where he referred to Gujaratis as “illiterates”.
The statement had triggered sharp reactions from BJP leaders, prompting Kharge to later say his words were “deliberately misinterpreted” while expressing regret.