All India United Democratic Front (AIDUF) chief and MP from Dhubri in Assam Badruddin Ajmal today assaulted a journalist during an interaction with the press. He was talking to media at Hatsingimari in South Salmara Mankachar district in Assam, after felicitating the winning candidates of the party in the recently concluded Panchayat elections. During the interaction, Ajmal suddenly got angry with a question asked by a journalist from ETV and verbally abused him. He also threated to physically attack him, in front of other journalists and party workers.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jna_pm_BL6c]
Ajamal was telling that he is with the Mahagathbandhan in Delhi, while the decision for an alliance in the state is yet to be taken. Responding to it, ETV Bharat reporter Kabir Mondal had asked him, “whether the AIUDF will ally with the Congress if the later forms Government at the Centre after Lok Sabha polls and whether it would ally with the BJP if the later comes back to power again.” The AIUDF chief replied with a counter question, “how much money will you pay? Is this journalism”. After that, he got angrier and threw away the booms of the news channels in front of him. He shouted words like dog, son of dog, goon for the journalist. He grabbed the boom of ETV, and said “I will smash your head, go and file a case on me”, gesturing with the boom.
Ajmal was particularly angry with Mondal, as he accused that Mondal was targeting him. He said he has no problem with other journalists present there. He said that Mondal has taken money from BJP to ask such questions. “He is asking if I am sold to BJP, his father will be sold”, he shouted. He said that he has thousands of people behind him, and the journalist will be finished in just one signal.
It can be noted that AIDUF is keen to forge an alliance with Congress for the Lok Sabha polls. Although central leadership of Congress is willing to ally with the party, the state leadership is stonewalling the move. Three-time chief minister Tarun Gogoi is particularly against any alliance with Ajmal’s party. While an alliance between the two parties can consolidate the Muslim votes, the state leadership feels that it will result in reverse consolidation of Hindu votes in favour of BJP. Congress state president Ripun Bora also has said that a pact with AIUDF will be suicidal for the party.
This act of violence by the Lok Sabha has been condemned by several organisations in the state. The Digital Media Journalists’ Association of Assam (DiMJAA) has decided to file an FIR against Badaruddin Ajmal.
