india

Updated: Oct 22, 2017 22:40 IST

The Assam unit of the Congress filed a police complaint on Sunday against BJP parliamentarian Kamakhya Prasad Tassa for allegedly equating Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi with garbage.

The party said the Adivasi leader of the tea tribal community, who represents the Jorhat Lok Sabha seat in central Assam, should be arrested for his defamatory remarks.

“The Congress washed the brains of people with garbage like Gandhi and Nehru without knowing the ideologies of Deendayal Upadhyaya,” Tassa had allegedly said at a public rally on Saturday.

Chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal attended the rally.

Congress workers burnt his effigies in Guwahati on Sunday and demanded his removal from Parliament.

“This is not just an insult to our nation, to the freedom movement, to our Constitution but also a serious offence. No sensible person can make such an offensive remark,” Congress state unit president Ripun Bora said.

Congress MPs from Assam, Gaurav Gogoi and Sushmita Dev, took to Twitter against their BJP counterpart.

“BJP MP Kamakhya Tassa’s speech equating Pandit Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi with garbage is condemnable and he should issue a public apology,” Gogoi posted.

BJP MP Kamakhya Tasa's speech equating Pandit Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi with garbage is condemnable and he should issue a public apology. — Gaurav Gogoi (@GauravGogoiAsm) 22 October 2017

Dev tweeted: “2014 elections gave a govt with absolute majority but the quality of Parliamentarians like Mr. Tassa is questionable. Deplorable comment”.

2014 elections gave a govt. with absolute majority but the quality of Parliamentarians like Mr. Tasa is questionable. deplorable comment https://t.co/TqapH8BqJS — Sushmita Dev (@sushmitadevmp) 22 October 2017

The BJP, heading the state’s three-party coalition government, has been facing flak from the Congress and local organisations for imposing RSS ideologies, particularly after naming some colleges after Upadhyaya.