Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma launched a scathing attack on the Gandhi family in his debut appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, alleging an internal rift between Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Speaking exclusively to NDTV Editor-in-Chief Rahul Kanwal, the BJP leader—who spent 22 years in Congress before switching sides—described himself as a “victim” of the supposed discord between the siblings. He claimed Rahul deliberately shifted Priyanka, the Wayanad MP, to head an election committee in Assam to prevent her from interfering in Kerala party affairs and to protect the influence of KC Venugopal and his close associates.

Sarma questioned the logic of assigning a Kerala MP to organisational duties in a distant northeastern state, suggesting it was a clear move to sideline Priyanka from her home region. He went further by branding the Gandhi family the “world’s biggest flop family” and contrasting it with his own humble, struggle-filled upbringing, asserting his family values were superior. The comments have intensified political speculation ahead of Assam’s upcoming assembly elections.

Defending his earlier controversial allegations against Assam Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi and his wife over purported links to Pakistan’s ISI, Sarma insisted it was his constitutional duty as chief minister to alert the central government about any connections to an “enemy country.” He dismissed notions of personal vendetta, comparing the situation to exposing a spy and emphasising that national security concerns outweighed routine corruption charges.

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Sarma also raised alarms over deteriorating India-Bangladesh relations following the ouster of Sheikh Hasina. He credited her government with crucial assistance in curbing extremism in Assam and warned that renewed hostility from Dhaka could enable militants to re-establish bases across the 800-km border, threatening Northeast India’s hard-won peace.

Highlighting his vision for Assam’s future, Sarma spoke of diversifying beyond hydrocarbons into emerging sectors like semiconductors to fuel rapid growth despite the state’s landlocked and border-adjacent challenges. He stressed balanced development across India to avoid national imbalance and reaffirmed that safeguarding Assamese identity amid demographic shifts remains a core priority alongside national security and progress. He ended with a pointed comparison to West Bengal, describing Assam as peaceful and free from violence.

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