'Stop murdering democracy': TMC protests in Guwahati as MVA crisis worsens

TMC shouted slogans saying that BJP was engaged in horse-trading in order to get back to power in Maharashtra

Trinamool Congress workers in Assam staged a protest in front of the hotel in Guwahati where rebel Shiv Sena MLAs are closeted since Wednesday morning, shouting, "stop buying MLAs and murdering democracy".

TMC workers led by Assam unit president Ripun Bora shouted slogans saying that BJP was engaged in horse-trading in order to get back to power in Maharashtra without giving importance to democratic values. "They are murdering democracy," Bora said before he along with his supporters were dragged into a bus and taken to Azara police station, situated about 10 km away early Thursday. Bora, former president of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee, joined TMC in April.

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"Stop buying horses and concentrate on giving relief materials to the flood-affected people," TMC workers shouted slogans while referring to Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma.

This happened at a time when Sarma was making an aerial survey of the flood-hit areas in Silchar in South Assam.

Over 100 people have died and more than 55 lakh people are still affected by floods in Assam. Opposition parties in Assam alleged that the BJP government in Assam is providing "royal treatment" to the rebel MLAs when they should be providing relief materials to the flood-hit people.

The protest was staged hours after four Maharashtra MLAs joined the Shiv Sena rebel camp led by cabinet minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday morning. At least 40 rebel MLAs led by Shinde landed in Guwahati in a chartered flight on Wednesday morning from Surat in Gujarat, where they were first flown in after the political crisis erupted in Maharashtra.