‘Unprecedented low’: Himanta Biswa Sarma’s latest ‘Miya’ remarks fuel Opposition firestorm in Assam

“We want to steal some votes of Miyas. Miyas should actually not even be able to vote here; they should vote in Bangladesh,” the CM recently said.

In response to the Congress’ “vote chori” allegations, Sarma said, “I myself have told the BJP people that they should keep giving complaints (Form 7 objections against inclusion in the electoral roll) against Miyas… So that they have to run around a little, are troubled, so that they understand that the Assamese people are still living.”

Sarma’s remarks on “troubling Miyas” have drawn sharp reactions. “Whoever can give trouble (to Miyas) in any way should give… In a rickshaw, if the fare is Rs 5, give them Rs 4. Only if they face troubles will they leave Assam,” he said.

Over the last few months, Sarma has, on multiple instances, given out calls for economic and social boycott of Bengali-origin Muslims, repeatedly referring to them as “osinaki manuh (unknown or unfamiliar people)”.

In last year’s Independence Day speech, Sarma had exhorted people to “resolve” to not sell land or rent houses to “unknown people”, claiming an “unknown CM will hoist the flag on Independence Day in two decades if the Assamese youth remain silent”.

Last month, he made similar statements while speaking at an event. “Every businessperson, every industrialist will have to make a decision, that in our establishment, we will not give jobs to unfamiliar people, we will give them to our own children. They will have to make a decision that my car will not be driven by an unfamiliar person, my car will be driven by an Assamese youth… In our city’s shops, we will employ our youth. On our flyovers and footpaths, we will not let unfamiliar people do business,” he had said.

Citing these remarks, the state Opposition leaders allege that the BJP is trying to make “such polarising rhetoric” the focus of the polls. “Over the last few years, there have been statements that madrasas should be shut so young people can become doctors and engineers. Now, when children from the community actually get good jobs, he (Sarma) calls that also a form of jihad. If Muslims are growing vegetables, he calls it fertiliser jihad and discourages production while urging people not to buy them. He talks about removing Muslim vendors from the streets in Guwahati, speaking against them being Ola and Uber drivers in Guwahati, and if they seek work elsewhere like Upper Assam, he encourages their harassment,” said AIUDF MLA Aminul Islam.

“Ultimately, this is narrative creation for votes, and this is reaching an unprecedented low. People anyway exploit poor labourers, and the CM himself is further instigating that by saying don’t pay them proper fares. It is a policy of hate, a trend of claiming that the more we punish Muslims, the better ministers we are. Seeing this narrative, it appears that there is no place for them to seek votes in the name of development,” he added.

The Opposition leaders have also taken exception to his statements on the Special Revision (SR) of electoral rolls, referring to his claim that when the SIR is held in Assam eventually, “4-5 lakh Miya votes will have to be cut”.

“He (Sarma) doesn’t understand the dignity of the constitutional post he is holding and how in a secular country, we have a duty to give space to all. Secondly, with his statements, he himself is proving how he and the BJP are dictating the Election Commission (EC) in complete violation of all rules and how it has been reduced to a puppet, which we completely oppose,” said Assam Mahila Congress president Mira Borthakur.

Sarma’s response

In the face of mounting criticism, Sarma on Thursday referred to the 2005 Supreme Court judgment in the Sarbananda Sonowal vs Union of India matter, that quotes a 1998 report by the then Governor of Assam Lt Gen S K Sinha (Retd) which states: “The silent and invidious demographic invasion of Assam may result in the loss of the geostrategically vital districts of lower Assam… The influx of illegal migrants is turning these districts into a Muslim majority region… It will then only be a matter of time when a demand for their merger with Bangladesh may be made… Loss of Lower Assam will sever the entire land mass of the North East from the rest of India and the rich natural resources of that region will be lost to the Nation.”

Citing these remarks, Sarma said in a social media post Thursday, “This is not my language, not my imagination, and not political exaggeration… When the highest Constitutional court of the country uses words like ‘demographic invasion’ and warns of the possible loss of territory and national unity, acknowledging that reality is neither hatred nor communalism, nor is it an attack on any community. It is a recognition of a grave and long-standing problem that Assam has lived with for decades. Our effort is not against any religion or any Indian citizen. Our effort is to protect Assam’s identity, security, and future, exactly as the Supreme Court cautioned the nation to do.”

Sarma’s defence prompted a reaction from senior Congress leader Pawan Khera. “Bhumi-Bikreta Sarma, please do not fool the amazing people of Assam further. We are not asking you to explain your thug-level hateful language. We know this is who you are and you learn it from your leaders. We are asking you to answer for the brazen robbery of the land, the hills, and the rivers of people of Assam – the 1.5 lakh Bigha of Sixth-Schedule protected land that you have sold to your crony friends. We understand you have sold your soul to NaSha (Narendra & Shah) but stop selling Assam’s soul,” he said in a post on X.