New Delhi, Sep 5 (IANS): Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh on Monday compared Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to Mir Jafar, the mid-18th century nobleman who sided with the British against the Nawab of Bengal Siraj-ud-Daula.

"He is not only Assam Chief Minister... He is the villain of BJP and tasked to finish Congress, after getting everything from Congress.. if somebody is like Mir Jafar, its Himanta Biswa Sarma, there is one more Mir Jafar in Jammu and Kashmir, but he is Mir Jafar of the North East," he said at a protest against Sarma here by party leaders from Assam.

Ramesh's reference to 'Mir Jafar' of Jammu and Kashmir was to veteran leader Ghulam Nabi Azad who recently quit the Congress and announced launch of his own party.

Sarma was with Congress and was a minister in Tarun Gogoi cabinet, before switching over to the BJP.

Earlier on Monday, Ramesh hit out at Azad, accusing him of justifying treachery and unleashing a slander campaign.

"After such a long career, courtesy entirely the party he's been tasked to slander, by giving interviews indiscriminately, Mr. Azad diminishes himself further. What's he afraid of that he's justifying his treachery every minute? He can be easily exposed but why stoop to his level?", Ramesh tweeted.