Guwahati: Opposition Congress staged a walkout in the assembly on Wednesday, questioning the ‘impartiality’ of speaker Biswajit Daimary after two Congress MLAs — Sherman Ali Ahmed and Abdur Rashid Mandal— entered the House following their defection to Akhil Gogoi’s Raijor Dal in the last three days.Congress demanded the disqualification of the two MLAs and named other party legislators it alleged were involved in “anti-party” activities.Congress leader Debabrata Saikia said the party had written to the speaker from time to time seeking disqualification of MLAs for “anti-party” activities, but no action was taken, even as the ongoing budget session is the last assembly session before the upcoming polls.Saikia said action should have been taken against Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha, Basanta Das, Siddeque Ahmed, Sashi Kanta Das, Mandal and Sherman.“Even after giving all proof of their anti-party activities, they were not disqualified, even as our notices sent to the speaker remained pending for years and months,” Saikia said.On Wednesday, Saikia again urged Daimary to rule on the notices. Daimary said he needed more time to verify the moves of the two MLAs. After the speaker refused to give a ruling, Congress staged a walkout, skipping Question Hour.The defections to Raijor Dal added to Congress’s setbacks after former Assam PCC president Bhupen Kumar Borah is scheduled to join BJP on Feb 22.Saikia also responded to chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s recent remark that Saikia would lose the 2026 assembly polls and join BJP after defeat.“I may lose, but BJP did not do any such good work for which I need to join them,” Saikia said.Mandal’s move to Raijor Dal, which is gaining popularity in minority areas of lower Assam, came as a surprise to Congress, while Sherman Ali Ahmed had been suspended by the party earlier.Mandal represents Goalpara West, and Ahmed is an MLA from Baghbor, a constituency where minorities play a decisive role.
