Guwahati (Assam) [India], March 27 (HBTV): The United People's Party Liberal (UPPL) and Chief Executive Member of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), Pramod Boro, on Wednesday filed a complaint with the Election Commission against the Congress party.
The complaint follows an incident where X handles of the Congress party allegedly used a controversial photo that went viral on social media where a person was seen sleeping on a bed with a stack of Indian currency notes.
The UPPL is an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance and part of the Assam government.
Pramod Boro told ANI that he has lodged a complaint against the Congress with the Chief Electoral Officer of Assam and that he has sent a copy to the Election Commission of India too.
"I will also lodge an FIR at Kokrajhar against the Congress tomorrow. I am shocked at how irresponsible Congress and its leaders are. The viral photograph was not clicked today or yesterday, it went viral long ago. It was collected by someone and it has again gone viral. The Congress people are irresponsible, even if they don't have time to check, and verify whether it is true or not, coming from authentic sources or not. They are doing politics with this and I am surprised. I condemn their behavior and attitude," Pramod Boro said.
The controversial photo on social media ignited a political row in Assam. In the photo, a political leader of Assam's Udalguri district under the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) can be seen sleeping on the bed with a considerable number of Indian currency notes.
According to the reports, Benjamin Basumatary is the leader seen in the photo sleeping on a bed wearing only a traditional towel and INR 500 currency notes strewn around him.
According to reports, political leaders had been associating Benjamin Basumatary with the UPPL.
However, Pramod Boro told ANI that Benjamin Basumatary was no longer associated with the UPPL.
‘Basumatary is no longer associated with UPPL as he was suspended from the party on January 10, 2024, and disciplinary action was taken against him after receiving a letter from the Harisingha Block Committee, UPPL, on January 5, 2024. Additionally, the BTC government suspended and removed him from the post of VCDC chairman on February 10, 2024,’ Pramod Boro said.
Boro said he has urged the Election Commission to take action against those responsible.
"This kind of fake news misleads people. We have sacrificed a lot to build the nation, the society, and the community, and we have been suffering in this region for long decades, but at that time Congress was sleeping. During that period, they just enjoyed the drama, and violence incidents happening in our region," Boro said.
The UPPL chief also said that Congress is only doing that to gain political mileage ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
"Now Congress has no issue, no agenda to face the election. So they are doing this fabricated news, fake news," Boro said.
Boro has urged media outlets and social media users to refrain from linking Basumatary with the UPPL.
"His actions are solely his own responsibility, and the party is not accountable for any of his personal acts," Pramod Boro said.
(ANI) This is a syndicated news feed. HBTV has edited it for clarity.