Assam Cong woman leader level harassment allegation on Indian Youth Congress President Srinivas, faces legal notice

Angkita Dutta, a former president of Assam Youth Congress stirred a controversy on Wednesday by leveling allegations of harassment and discrimination based on her gender against Srinivas BV, the national president of Indian Youth Congress and a youth Congress leader from Karnataka's Shimoga district.

In a series of tweets, Angkita, the daughter of former Assam minister and former president of Assam Pradesh Congress Committee, Anjan Dutta, alleged that Srinivas harassed her mentally for the past six months but no action was initiated against him by the party high command including Rahul Gandhi despite her complaints.

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In a tweet, Angkita said she had even complained to Rahul Gandhi when she met him during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Jammu but no action has been initiated against Srinivas yet.

Angkita became active in Congress after her father died in 2016. She became the vice-president of Assam Youth Congress (AYC) in June 2018 and was made the president in November 2021 after Kamrul Islam Choudhury, president of AYC quit. Angkita told television channels that Srinivas abruptly decided to hold the elections of AYC and did not give her importance during activities of the youth Congress in Assam.

"How can a sexist and chauvinistic leader @IYC torture and demean a woman every single time...?" she asked in another tweet.

"I am a woman leader. If I undergo such harassment, how am I supposed to encourage women to join?"

Srinivas's rebuttal:

Rejecting her allegations, the legal cell of IYC served a legal notice asking Angkita to issue an apology on social media, failing which Srinivas would file a criminal defamation case against her. The legal notice was served on behalf of Srinivas, a leader from Karnataka. It said Angkita did not discharge her responsibilities ably and instead levelled allegations against IYC in-charge of Assam also.

"Srinivas BV is a well-known public figure, social worker and a politician. He has earned a significant name and reputation on account of his impeccable public service especially during the Covid-19 lockdown. But Dutta resorted to using utterly unparliamentary, undignified, defamatory, malicious words against Srinivas and leveled totally sexist, chauvinistic, false and frivolous allegations," the legal notice said.

It further said Angkita's name came up in the Saradha chit fund scam and so she was making the allegations in order to malign the image of Congress and join BJP. The notice said she was also in constant touch with Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, who was in Congress till August 2015.

Bhupen Kumar Borah, president of Assam Pradesh Congress Committee said he would talk to Angkita to sort out the issue.