Eighteen opposition parties in Assam have filed a police complaint against Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma over the ‘Miyan Muslim’ statement. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma had said on Tuesday that he would be biased and would not let ‘Miyan’ Muslims take over Assam. His statement has sparked controversy. The joint platform of 18 opposition parties led by the Congress alleged that Himanta Sharma has promoted hatred between communities.
According to NDTV report, Assam Congress chief Bhupen Bora said, “18 opposition parties in Assam have jointly filed a police complaint against the Chief Minister. Since the results of the Lok Sabha elections, the Chief Minister of Assam is trying to incite communal riots and is also making sensitive statements inside the Assembly. We will also write a letter to the President.”
Himanta Sharma was speaking in the assembly in connection with the adjournment motion of opposition parties on the law and order situation in the state in the backdrop of the rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl in Nagaon. He said if the population growth was kept under control, the crime rate would not have increased. Sharma said, “Not even a single case of rape is acceptable. However, if the population growth is taken into account along with the number of rape cases in the last few years, the crime rate has come down. There has been a lot of improvement in the last 10 years.”
On the developments in which members of the Marwari community knelt down to apologise for the alleged attack on a 17-year-old wrestler in Sivasagar, Sharma claimed that it was a “voluntary” move. He rejected the allegations by Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia. “Our Cabinet minister Ranoj Pegu was sent to ensure that there is no misunderstanding. The Marwari community showed generosity and the matter was resolved. Nobody forced them to kneel down,” Sharma claimed.
When opposition MLAs raised their voices, the chief minister questioned, “Why do you get angry when we talk about minorities? Has the Congress declared that it does not need the majority community?” Sharma targeted Congress and AIUDF MLAs and said, “You are competing for minority votes, I am not in the race.” When the opposition accused him of being biased, Sharma hit back, “I will be biased. What can you do?”
Amid the heated exchange, AIUDF MLA Rafiqul Islam said that people from lower Assam will go to the districts of upper Assam as it is their right. He cited the diktat of some organisations that people should leave upper Assam immediately. Sharma replied, “Why will people from lower Assam go to upper Assam? So that the Miyan Muslims can take over Assam. We will not let this happen.”
The word ‘Miyan’ has been used as a slur for the people of Bengali-speaking Muslim community and non-Bengali people usually call them Bangladeshi migrants. In the last few years, people of non-Bengali speaking community have started using this word. MLAs of Congress, AIUDF and CPI(M) and the only independent member Akhil Gogoi had given an adjournment motion to discuss the situation arising out of increasing incidents of crime, including crimes against women, in the state.
(Input Agency)