Himanta Drops Bombshell: “Time for Sonia Gandhi to Quit Politics!”

Poonam Sharma

Guwahati, 17 April 2025 :  In a scathing political broadside that has caused a stir in national circles, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma asserted that “it is time for Sonia Gandhi to retire from politics.” The acerbic comment, made at a high-octane election rally, marks a intensification of the BJP’s campaign against the Congress in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections.

Sarma, whose no-holds-barred approach is well-known, did not hesitate to attack the Gandhi family. “The Congress party has turned into a private limited company. It’s no longer ideological; it’s about safeguarding one family’s declining legacy. Sonia Gandhi has lingered too long in politics. In the interest of Indian democracy, she needs to resign,” Sarma declaimed to thunderous applause from the audience.

The remark marks one of the strongest public calls from a BJP leader for Sonia Gandhi’s political exit, and is being viewed as a calculated move to stir the Congress hornet’s nest just as the party tries to project unity under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership. Sources in the BJP say this is part of a larger strategy to directly attack the Congress’s high command and portray it as a dynasty unwilling to let go of power.

Sarma went further, calling the Congress “politically bankrupt” and “incapable of fighting elections without hiding behind the Gandhi surname.” He accused Sonia Gandhi of remote-controlling party affairs even after her “so-called retirement,” and alleged that the opposition INDIA bloc was “a desperate alliance stitched together by those afraid of Prime Minister Modi’s popularity.”

Congress leaders responded with outrage. “It is nothing but Himanta’s morning dose of sycophancy to impress his Delhi bosses,” Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said. “Sonia Gandhi has more grace in her silence than Sarma does in all his words.”

Political commentators argue that the attack represents the BJP’s 2024-25 message—discrediting dynastic politics and promoting Modi as a tough, self-made leader. But critics note that such ad hominem attacks could boomerang, particularly among older voters who still see Sonia Gandhi in respect for what she did during the UPA years.

Nevertheless, Sarma’s remarks have guaranteed one thing: the war between Congress and BJP has become personal, and with the elections approaching, the war of words can only become more incendiary from here.

“Retire gracefully, or be thrown out by voters”—Sarma’s message to Sonia has set the tone for a scorched-earth campaign.