Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma calls Gandhi family 'expired drugs': 'They can't even perform opposition's role'

New Delhi: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has called the Gandhi family “expired drugs” and said that they cannot even perform the role of opposition.

The Congress still feels that it is the ruling party in the country and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has “usurped power” from it, Sarma said in an interview with ANI.

Talking to the news agency, the chief minister said, normal forums of democracy are available to opposition parties in India and there is an inbuilt system. “But do not see Gandhi family in the name of the opposition party. They are expired drugs. They can't even perform the role of opposition because they never think they are in opposition... They are an opposition party only for sake of it. It is in their mind that we are the ruling party,” Sarma, who left Congress after over two decades to join the BJP, said.

“They somewhere feel that Narendra Modi is on the PM seat through force and that seat belongs to them. They are not opposition. They stay in opposition with a great sense of anger,” he said.

Further talking about Congress, Sarma said the notion among sections of bureaucracy that Congress is the natural party of governance should be demolished. “Then you will have proper democracy,” he said.

He accused Congress of misusing Article 356 to dismiss opposition governments when it was in power. “Narendra Modi is a challenger to that one-party system. He is challenging the hegemony of Congress,” he claimed.

They created “one family rule” in the country, Sarma said, adding that “you want to create that institution where entire India is run from 10 Janpath. That institution, you will not get back.”

He further said that BJP-led NDA will return to power with “much more greater majority” in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.