SILCHAR: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday intensified his campaign against the “Miya” community in the state, saying the term was a reference to Bangladeshi immigrants and that he has declared a “war” to drive them out of the state.
“Miya means Bangladeshi infiltrators, and we have decided to go as far as it takes to send every one of them back from Assam. This is a war and a matter of life and death for us,” Sarma told a public gathering on Saturday.
Sarma has repeatedly used the term “Miyas” on public platforms in recent weeks, prompting criticism from the Opposition.
On January 27, he urged people in Assam to “go after” members of the Miya community and continue to “disturb” them. “If we don’t do this, the infiltrators will think that the Assamese people are weak. We are doing this for our existence,” he said.
In recent days, Sarma has also claimed that 4-5 five lakh Miya voters would be removed from the electoral rolls during the ongoing Special Revision (SR) process in the state.
On Friday, Sarma said Assam needed politics of polarisation, warning that otherwise the indigenous population would face extinction within the next 30 years. “They are taking away our land, opportunities and political power. They are doing love jihad, land jihad and education jihad. If we do not take a stand for ourselves, our future generations will have nothing,” he said.
The chief minister’s remarks have led senior Congress leader Debabrata Saikia to seek action against Sarma on Wednesday, saying his statements have dishonoured the Constitution.
Senior advocate of the Gauhati High Court and Congress leader Hafiz Rashid Ahmed Choudhury said the chief minister’s remarks could provoke communal tensions. “He is directly asking Hindus to target Muslims. This may benefit the BJP politically in the upcoming Assembly elections, but society will suffer,” Choudhury said.
Congress leader Aminul Haque Laskar, a former BJP MLA from 2016 to 2021, said an elected representative cannot dictate the Election Commission’s functioning and that the chief minister must adhere to constitutional decorum.
Social activist Harsh Mander on Saturday filed a complaint against Sarma at Delhi’s Hauz Khas police station, seeking registration of an FIR under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Sarma hit back. “Who is this Harsh Mander? I have seen many people like him. Such people came to Assam and destroyed the NRC. If I had been in power then, I would have taught him a lesson,” he said.
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