CM Himanta calls out Congress, INDI Alliance over Guwahati unrest
Synopsis
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma charged that Guwahati is 'rising in rage' against the 'anarchist activities' of Congress and the INDIA Alliance, sharpening BJP's pre-election narrative in Assam with a live broadcast amplifying the message on October 14, 2026.
Key Takeaways
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma publicly accused the Indian National Congress and the INDIA Alliance of 'anarchist activities' in Guwahati on October 14, 2026 .
The post included a live X broadcast link, bypassing traditional media to reach audiences directly.
The BJP has governed Assam since its 2016 assembly election victory over Congress, with Sarma as the current Chief Minister.
The INDIA Alliance was formed in July 2023 as a national opposition coalition and has been working to rebuild Congress's presence in Assam.
Sarma also convenes the North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) , extending BJP's regional influence across the northeast.
No formal response from Congress or INDIA Alliance leaders had been issued at the time of the post.
A city already crackling with pre-election tension just got louder. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, declared that Guwahati is 'rising in rage' against what he termed the 'anarchist activities' of the Indian National Congress and the INDIA Alliance — attaching a live broadcast to amplify the message directly to his followers.
The charge from the Chief Minister's desk
Sarma's post — clipped and pointed — frames the opposition's street-level mobilisation not as legitimate political activity but as a threat to public order. By labelling it 'anarchist,' he plants the ruling BJP's preferred narrative squarely in the record: the Congress-led INDIA Alliance disrupts; the BJP governs. The broadcast link, streamed live on X, carried the optics of real-time crowd energy directly past traditional gatekeepers to a wide digital audience.
Guwahati as BJP's political battleground
Guwahati, Assam's capital and its most populous city, has been the centrepiece of political mobilisation in the state for decades. The BJP broke a long run of Congress dominance in Assam with its 2016 assembly election victory and has governed since, with Sarma — one of the Northeast's most prominent BJP figures — cementing that hold through the North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) that he convenes.
The INDIA Alliance, launched in July 2023 as a national opposition coalition, has been working to re-energise Congress's depleted base in the state. Any visible street mobilisation in Guwahati by the opposition is, therefore, a direct contest for symbolic ground in what promises to be a fiercely fought election cycle.
A familiar playbook, a sharpening edge
Sarma's framing follows a well-worn pattern in Assam's post-2016 political landscape: BJP leaders consistently characterise opposition protests as disorder rather than dissent. What is notable here is the timing. With assembly elections on the horizon, the language is getting harder — 'rage,' 'anarchist,' 'rises' — signalling that the ruling establishment intends to make the opposition's conduct, not just its policies, a defining issue on the campaign trail.
The Congress and INDIA Alliance have not yet issued a formal response to the Chief Minister's specific remarks. Any counter-rally or statement from opposition leaders in Guwahati in the coming hours will determine whether this exchange escalates or settles into the background noise of competitive state politics.
Guwahati's streets are already the text. The question now is who writes the next line.
Point of View
Designed to recast opposition mobilisation in Guwahati as a law-and-order challenge rather than a democratic contest of ideas. This mirrors the BJP's broader national template of delegitimising coalition politics under the INDIA Alliance banner. With Assam's assembly election cycle approaching, the intensity of this language suggests the ruling establishment views an organised opposition presence in the state capital as genuinely threatening to its consolidated base. How aggressively the Congress-INDIA Alliance responds on the ground in Guwahati will be the real indicator of whether the opposition has the momentum — or is simply offering the BJP a useful villain.
NationPress
14 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did CM Himanta Biswa Sarma call out Congress in Guwahati?
Sarma accused Congress and the INDIA Alliance of 'anarchist activities' in Guwahati on October 14, 2026, framing opposition mobilisation as disruptive ahead of Assam's election cycle.
What is the INDIA Alliance and why does it matter in Assam?
The INDIA Alliance is a national opposition coalition launched in July 2023 to contest elections against the BJP-led NDA. In Assam, it is working to revive Congress's presence after the party lost power in the 2016 assembly elections.
When did BJP come to power in Assam?
The BJP won the Assam assembly elections in 2016, ending prolonged Congress rule in the state, and has governed since with Himanta Biswa Sarma as Chief Minister.
What is NEDA and what is Himanta Biswa Sarma's role in it?
NEDA, the North-East Democratic Alliance, is a BJP-led political coalition of parties across India's northeast. Himanta Biswa Sarma serves as its convenor, giving him significant regional influence beyond Assam.
What did Congress say in response to Sarma's Guwahati comments?
As of Sarma's October 14, 2026 post, no formal response from Congress or INDIA Alliance leaders had been publicly recorded in connection with his specific remarks.
