'Why will BJP pay their bills?' Himanta dismisses Oppn claims on rebel MLAs' Guwahati stay

Congress, in a statement, alleged that the BJP government in Assam was giving a 'royal treatment' to the rebel MLAs during a devastating flood

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma hit out at Opposition parties when they asked who was paying the bills of rebel Maharashtra MLAs holed up in a luxury hotel in Guwahati.

"Why will BJP pay their bills? BJP is not paying any bill. You can go to the hotel and find out. People of Assam are not paying the bills. Instead, we are collecting money from them in the form of tax. People of Assam will be benefitted," Sarma told reporters in Guwahati when asked by journalists.

Congress, in a statement, alleged that the BJP government in Assam was giving a "royal treatment" to the rebel MLAs when the state was going through a devastating flood. Sharad Pawar-led NCP also asked central agencies to probe "black money" involved in the rebel MLAs' stay at luxury hotels.

Congress and TMC demanded that the Shiv Sena MLAs, staying in the Radisson Blu hotel, should be immediately asked to leave the state in view of the prevailing flood situation.

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"I don't understand what is the connection between flood in Assam and their stay in our hotel? There are other luxury hotels too in Guwahati, where many other guests are staying. There are 200 hotels in Guwahati, people from outside Assam are staying. How can I ask them to leave Assam just because there is a flood? Is there a lockdown for Covid-19?" Sarma asked.

When asked about whether BJP was supporting the rebel MLAs of Shiv Sena, Assam CM said, "Whether BJP is supporting the rebels in Maharastra or not, I have nothing to do with that. My job is to see the guests coming to our state can stay safe and in comfort. Tomorrow, if Congress MLAs also come to Assam, my job will be to ensure their safety and comfort," he said.

Shiv Sena rebel MLAs led by Eknath Shinde have been staying in the Radisson Blu hotel since Tuesday, following a political crisis in Maharashtra. They first landed in Surat in Gujarat and were staying in a hotel but came to Guwahati on Tuesday morning after some of them were allegedly attacked by Shiv Sena workers.