Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. File
| Photo Credit: ANI
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has played down the participation of the daughter of one of his Ministers at a Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest in Guwahati on July 23, 2026.
Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Keshab Mahanta was trolled after videos of his daughter Dibisa Mahanta shouting slogans at a CJP protest against irregularities in the NEET exam went viral. One of the slogans had slang against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Mr. Mahanta, a senior leader of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), one of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s regional allies, did not react.
However, the Chief Minister said his Cabinet colleague should not be attacked or trolled, as the daughter “may not follow her father’s political ideology”.
“Tomorrow, when my son practises law, he may defend someone whom I may not like. The actions of children should not be linked with their parents once they become adults,” he told journalists on Saturday (July 25, 2026).
“I do not agree with the slogans she raised. When I meet her, I will talk to her about it and try to make her understand that it was not the right thing to say,” the Chief Minister said.
M. Mahanta is one of two AGP Ministers in the BJP-led government in Assam. The other is AGP president Atul Bora.
Published – July 26, 2026 10:35 am IST
