Himanta Biswa Sarma said rejected claims that he and Sarbananda Sonowal were booed.
Amid widespread outrage over the attack on the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus earlier this week, Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday accused Left parties of spreading "anarchy" in educational institutes across the country. He also criticised Bollywood actor Deepika Padukone's visit to JNU to meet those injured in the attack, saying that it has become a "trend" for film stars to visit a college or university campus before a big movie release.
"Left-guided unions have created an atmosphere of intolerance on university campuses. Wherever we have Left-oriented teachers and students, they don't allow people who don't subscribe to their ideology into their educational campuses," Mr Sarma told reporters in Guwahati.
"However, you can easily deliver a speech at any institute that's right to the centre. In the past, our Northeast Chief Ministers were not allowed. The Left is (forcing) educational institutions into anarchy," the Minister added.
Mr Sarma also took on former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi for claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a "Hindu Jinnah". "Hindutva is secular. So, if he says Hindu Jinnah, it cannot be compared. You cannot put secularism, which is Hindutva, with Jinnah, which is communal," he reasoned.
The BJP leader rejected claims that he and Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal were booed by people at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium during the India vs Sri Lanka T20I cricket match on Sunday. "The voice in the video has been super-imposed, and we have registered a case to investigate it. It was circulated by a few people," he said.
Claims that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was skipping the Khelo India Games in Guwahati over concerns that he will face protests were also roundly dismissed. "There was no advisory sent to the PMO on the Assam visit. The Prime Minister did not confirm his participation. The Sports Minister will be present instead," he said.
The third edition of the event will be held at Sarusajai Stadium from January 10 to 22, with the participation of 6,800 athletes from 37 states and union territories. Northeast student unions had warned that while they will not block the event itself, PM Modi is sure to face protests if he comes to Assam.