Congress MLA slits own palm, inks posters with blood at Assam Assembly premises in bizarre protest against sale of defunct state-owned firms

Guwahati: Congress MLA Rupjyoti Kurmi, who is known for his unusual styles of protest, on Tuesday slit his palm at the Assam Assembly premises and wrote with his blood his objection to the state government’s alleged move to sell some of its defunct enterprises. Kurmi, who is often termed ‘quirky’ and ‘maverick’ for his protest styles, was seen coming out of the Assembly hall, taking a blade, cutting his palm and writing his protests in blood in front of waiting journalists at the exit of the Assembly Hall. [caption id=“attachment_7734871” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Congress MLA Rupjyoti Kurmi protests at Assam Assembly against sell of defunct state enterprises. News18[/caption] The legislator, who represents Mariani, wrote slogans against the state government’s alleged move to sell off Nagaon and Cachar Paper Mills, Brahmaputra Valley Fertilizer Corporation Ltd, Halmari Tea Estate in Dibrugarh and Ailabari Tea Estate in Karimganj. Kurmi told reporters that the Assam government will not be allowed to “sell the state’s future”. “All these assets on Assam’ soil are linked to the state’s honour, people’s means of livelihood and the state’s future… They cannot be allowed to be sold,” he said. When Kurmi was told that his way of protesting may be replicated by the youth, he said, “During the freedom movement, our party (Congress) had bravely faced bullets of the British for the independence of India. Today, when Assam is facing threat from government action, I am ready to sacrifice my life”. He was rushed to the medical emergency room and was given three stitches on his hand. Asked, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Debabrata Saikia of Congress said he was not part of Kurmi’s protest. “People have their right to protest in a democracy, but I do not support this kind of protest”. “As the Congress Legislature Party leader of Assam, I am responsible for the (action of) 24 party MLAs within the House and not outside it,” Saikia said. Kurmi had in an earlier instance protested against the rise in the price of onions by wearing a garland made of the vegetable and lying at the entrance of the House. Speaker Hitesh Goswami has ordered an enquiry into how Kurmi brought the blade inside the Assembly premises. Goswami also asked Saikia, Kurmi and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary to come to his office chamber for a meeting to discuss the issue. Raising the issue in the House BJP MLA Padma Hazarika said, “If an MLA could sneak in a blade into the Assembly undetected, then where is the security of the other legislators?” This sparked trading of charges between the Congress and the BJP MLAs. Justifying his action, Kurmi said his protest was because thousands of employees of the enterprises in Assam are going hungry due to non-payment of salaries for the last three months. City police commissioner Deepak Kumar said he has instructed the superintendent of police of Dispur to probe the incident and submit the report to him. “Accordingly action will be taken against the MLA as per law”. On the first day of the Assembly’s winter session on 28 November, Kurmi had staged a sit-in with placards against the shutdown of two tea estates. Later, he had participated in opposition protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill and the National Register of Citizens wearing a garland of onions.