Reported By: Niloy Bhattacherjee
Last Updated: October 02, 2023, 23:37 IST
Guwahati [Gauhati], India
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma (L), AIUDF Chief Badruddin Ajmal (R).
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said that his party does not require votes from “Miyas”
In a rather controversial remark, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said that his party does not require votes from “Miyas” until they are ready to leave behind regressive practices like child marriages adding that they can however, continue to support him and PM Modi.
“When you shall adopt family planning, stop child marriages or end orthodoxy then you vote for us. It will take 10 years to achieve this so vote for us after 10 years. So, there is no need for them to vote for me now,” said Sarma.
“Those who vote for me cannot have more than two children, need to send their wards to school and cannot indulge in child marriage. These three criteria need to be met by those who vote for me”, the chief minister added.
Reacting to his comments, All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) supremo Badruddin Ajmal urged Muslim voters not to support or vote for the BJP since the party doesn’t need their votes to win the elections.
“If the Chief Minister doesn’t want then the Miya’s shall not vote for him. This time Miya’s should decide who to vote for,” Ajmal said.
Sarma’s remarks sparked controversy in the state as it was not the first time he made a pitch to dissuade Muslim voters in Assam.
Ahead of the state assembly polls, Sarma that the BJP does not need votes from the Bengali-origin Muslim community in Assam to win the elections, and accused the community of “openly challenging Assamese culture and language and the composite Indian culture.”
Recently, when tomato prices were rising, the chief minister held “miyas” responsible for the high prices of vegetables in Guwahati and issued a call for the state’s youth to come forward to take up jobs in order to “clean” Guwahati from “miyas”.
For the unversed, “Miyas” is a pejorative term commonly used for Muslims. Bengali-origin Muslims in Assam, have a population of almost over 10 million which is spread throughout Assam covering 35% of the state population.
