Assam CM Defends Minister After Daughter Protests NEET Irregularities

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma defended Cabinet Minister Keshab Mahanta after videos surfaced showing Mahanta's daughter, Dibisa, participating in protests against NEET examination irregularities. The demonstrations, organized by the Cockroach Janta Party in Guwahati and at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

Dibisa Mahanta was filmed raising slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which triggered widespread online trolling of her father. Minister Mahanta, who serves as the Revenue and Disaster Management Minister and is a leader of the Asom Gana Parishad, claimed his daughter had been lured to the protest by friends under the pretext of attending tuition.

Sarma urged the public not to target Mahanta, arguing that the political ideologies of adult children should not be linked to their parents. While protecting his colleague from criticism, Sarma explicitly disagreed with the slogans used and stated his intention to speak with Dibisa to explain why her comments were not right.