"Refused To Eat, Resigned": Himanta Sarma Amid Rahul Gandhi's Biscuit Row

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has launched a fresh attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over a viral video, weeks after the two traded barbs during the Assam leg of Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.

The viral video captured during the yatra in Jharkhand shows Mr Gandhi petting a puppy. The Congress leader then asks his aides for a pack of biscuits to treat his furry friend. At this point, several supporters are seen trying to talk to him. Between exchanging greetings, Mr Gandhi also feeds the puppy. At one point, he is seen offering a biscuit to the puppy. As the puppy turns away, Mr Gandhi is seem handing the biscuit to a supporter addressing him.

The official Bharat Jodo Yatra handle shared a video of Mr Gandhi petting the puppy but that clip does not show the biscuit episode. The "biscuit" video has now gone viral, with many accusing the Congress leader of mistreating his supporters and party workers.

Some users have, however, claimed that the puppy belonged to the supporter Mr Gandhi was speaking to and that the Congress leaders had given him the biscuits to feed the puppy later.

Many tagged the Assam Chief Minister, who was earlier with the Congress, for his views on the matter. Mr Sarma has often narrated an incident, in which he and other senior Congress leaders had visited Mr Gandhi for a meeting. During the meeting, he says, Mr Gandhi's pet dog Pidi ate biscuits from a plate. The Congress leaders were then offered biscuits from the same plate, Mr Sarma has claimed in multiple interviews. During these interviews, Mr Sarma has used the alleged incident to bolster his claim that Mr Gandhi is not serious about key party matters. He has also said he left the Congress soon after.

The Assam leader did not miss the opportunity to double down on his charge when the latest video went viral. Responding to a user who had tagged him, he said "not only Rahul Gandhi but the entire family could not make me eat that biscuit". "I am a proud Assamese and Indian. I refused to eat and resign from the Congress," he said.

Mr Gandhi was also slammed by other BJP leaders over the viral video. Amit Malviya said "it is natural for a party to become extinct when its prince behaves treats party workers like dogs".