Rahul Gandhi will be arrested once Lok Sabha election is over: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on January 24 said he would ensure that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi gets arrested once the Lok Sabha election is over.

Rahul Gandhi, meanwhile, dared the BJP-ruled state to file "as many cases as it can", asserting that he will not be intimidated.

Sarma said the reason they are not going against the Congress leader is because "if we take action now, they will call it as political move," reports PTI news agency.

The Gandhi scion, whose Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra is facing hurdles in Assam, was booked on the orders of Sarma for allegedly provoking the crowd.

Referring to the FIR lodged against Gandhi and a host of other Congress leaders, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who also holds the Home portfolio, said a Special Investigation Team (SIT) will probe into the matter and arrests will be carried out after the Lok Sabha polls.

Addressing a public meeting on Wednesday in Barpeta district, Gandhi called Sarma the "most corrupt CM" of the country and made a series of allegations related to land and areca nut trade.

"I don't know how Himanta Biswa Sarma got the idea that he can intimidate me by filing cases. File as many cases as you can. File 25 more cases, I am not going to be intimidated. BJP-RSS can't intimidate me," he added.

The Guwahati Police on Tuesday suo motu registered an FIR against Gandhi and other leaders for “wanton acts of violence” in Guwahati by allegedly instigating a crowd to launch an attack on the personnel.

"I gave a speech against (Narendra) Modi's special friend (Gautam) Adani and a case was filed against me. Then they threw me out of Parliament and took away my government residence. I gave the keys myself, I don't want it.

"My home is in the heart of every Indian citizen, I live there. I have lakhs of houses in Assam, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and all other states", Gandhi said amid huge applause from the public.

(With PTI inputs)