Congress intensifies protests over CM Sarma’s ‘virginity-for-jobs’ remark, statewide FIRs planned

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaApril 30, 2025

Just days before the first phase of Assam’s Panchayat elections, the Congress has launched a state-wide protest against Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over his controversial remark implying sexual exploitation of women for government jobs under the previous Congress-led government.

At a rally in Borsola, Sonitpur on April 28, Sarma alleged that between 2001 and 2016, “young girls had to lose their sanctity” to secure jobs—citing a witness statement from the Justice (Retd.) Biplab Sarma Commission’s report on the APSC cash-for-jobs scam. The comment sparked widespread backlash, with Congress demanding accountability.

On Wednesday, the Assam Pradesh Mahila Congress, led by President Mira Borthakur Goswami, staged a protest outside Rajiv Bhawan in Guwahati and burned an effigy of the Chief Minister. In a letter to the National Commission for Women (NCW), Borthakur condemned Sarma’s remark as defamatory and damaging to the dignity of thousands of women who served in government roles during that period.

Calling for an immediate CBI investigation, she argued that the Assam Police cannot be expected to act impartially in the matter. “This allegation—coming from a sitting Chief Minister—is more serious than the 2013 cash-for-jobs scam that sent Om Prakash Chautala to jail,” she wrote. “If the CM is lying, he must resign. If he’s telling the truth, he should be punished for staying silent about such a crime while in government.”

Assam Congress president Bhupen Kumar Borah condemned the remark as “one of the most offensive statements in Indian politics” and demanded a public apology within 24 hours. With that deadline now expired, Borah has directed all District Congress Committees (DCCs) to file FIRs at Sadar police stations across Assam on Thursday, seeking Sarma’s arrest.

Borah warned that legal action will follow if the Chief Minister does not retract his words. “He’s politicizing a deeply sensitive issue for electoral mileage,” Borah said.

In response, CM Sarma defended his statement, saying he merely quoted a witness from the Commission report and did not express a personal opinion. “If Congress has a problem, they should raise it with the Commission, not with me,” he said.