‘BJP is like Ganga Jal’: BJP's Shiladitya Deb on Himanta Biswa Sarma's past remarks on Modi
Says, "One dip and you are free from all your sin"
New Delhi: A video featuring journalist Sreenivasan Jain questioning BJP leader Shiladitya Deb over Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s past remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi has gone viral, drawing attention to political shifts and rhetoric.
In the clip, Jain refers to Sarma’s earlier statement made during his time in the Congress, when he had urged people to pray that “this type of killer” should never become Prime Minister, in reference to Modi. Sarma later joined the BJP in 2015 and went on to become the Chief Minister of Assam.
Responding to the question, Deb defended the political shift, saying, “BJP is like Ganga Jal. One dip and you are free from all your sin.” The remark was made in the context of Sarma’s transition from the Congress to the BJP and his subsequent rise within the party.
Jain also pointed out that opposition parties often describe the BJP as a “washing machine”, suggesting it helps clean the image of leaders who switch sides. In response, Deb did not reject the comparison, but instead framed it in a religious and cultural context, equating the party to the purifying nature of Ganga Jal.
The exchange did not include any direct defence of Sarma’s earlier remarks or a detailed explanation of his political shift. Instead, Deb’s response suggested that past statements become irrelevant once a leader joins the BJP.
When he was in the Congress, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had criticised Narendra Modi, saying "pray this type of killer never becomes Prime Minister".
— Sreenivasan Jain (@SreenivasanJain) April 6, 2026
I ask the BJP's Shiladitya Deb about Sarma's u-turn.
He told me "BJP is like Ganga Jal. One dip and you are free… pic.twitter.com/yn81583aqc
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Siddaramaiah will continue as K'taka CM under 'current situation': Minister Parameshwara
Mysuru (PTI): Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Monday asserted that Siddaramaiah will continue as the Chief Minister for the full five-year term under the "current situation".
He, however, maintained that any decision regarding the leadership change rests solely with the Congress high command.
"We don't know anything (about leadership change). Who said there will be a change? Who will change? The AICC has to do it. Since they haven't said anything, should we keep guessing? When they want to make changes, the high command will say so; they might not make any changes either," Parameshwara told reporters.
Asked if Siddaramaiah will continue as Chief Minister, he said, "Of course, he will, why shouldn't he? Siddaramaiah will continue under the current situation."
"If Siddaramaiah cannot continue, I'm not the one to say; it will not happen just because Parameshwara says so; the high command has to say," he added.
Amid the ongoing power tussle within the ruling Congress in Karnataka, Siddaramaiah recently asserted that the party's government will remain in power for two more years and that he is the Chief Minister of the state.
The leadership tussle within the ruling party has intensified amid speculation about a possible change of chief minister after the Congress government completed the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20, 2025.
The speculation has been fuelled by the reported "power-sharing" arrangement between Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar at the time of government formation in 2023.
To a query about Shivakumar's aspirations to become the CM, the Home Minister said, "... He is our party state president, our senior leader and the Deputy Chief Minister. Who has to make him the Chief Minister? The high command has to respond, what they say is final. Let's wait until then."
In response to a question on the leadership issue causing a lot of confusion, Parameshwara asked, "Who created confusion? Did the Congress high command do it?"
Recalling that there was no explicit declaration in 2013 that Siddaramaiah would serve as the CM for five years, but he successfully completed his term until 2018, he said, "When Siddaramaiah was made CM in 2023, he has to be there for the full term. If he will not be there for the full term, high command has to decide."
Clarifying that the results of the upcoming by-polls in Bagalkote and Davanagere South will have no bearing on the CM's position, the senior Minister said, "Why should they be linked? Has anyone said there will be a change? Leave the BJP aside, we don't want their assessment. Should we run the administration based on what the BJP says?"
"There may be some discussion regarding a change in our party, but I'm not ready to say that there will be changes after the bypolls. Others can make their own personal assessments," he added.
Bypolls for the Bagalkot and Davanagere South Assembly constituencies will be held on April 9. The polls were necessitated following the deaths of senior Congress MLAs H Y Meti and Shamanur Shivashankarappa, respectively.
BJP MP and former CM Basavaraj Bommai recently said that the ongoing power tussle within the ruling Congress has taken a "short break" because of bypolls, and claimed that the state will witness a "political wrestling" for the Chief Minister's chair in May.
