Assam CM’s ‘Miya Muslims’ remark triggers political backlash, BJP comes to defence with Bangladeshi angle
New Delhi, Jan 29 (LatestNewsX) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has triggered a major controversy with his remarks on “Miya Muslims”, drawing sharp backlash from Opposition parties, who accused the BJP leader of repeatedly attempting to divide society.
The controversy comes at a politically sensitive time as Assam heads towards Assembly elections later this year.
CM Sarma said that he encourages creating “trouble” for “Miya Muslims” so that they are driven out of the state, remarks that have sparked widespread outrage across the election-bound northeastern state.
In Assam, Bengali-speaking Muslims are often referred to as ‘Miyas’, a term the BJP has frequently linked with what it claims are “illegal infiltrators”.
“Trouble the Miya Muslims by any means. If they face trouble, they will go from Assam. If I want to give trouble to Miya, I go at 12 am. It’s not an issue. We are directly against the Miya Muslims. We are not hiding anything; we directly say that we are against Miyas. Earlier, people feared that notices would be served against them. Now, I encourage everyone to give trouble to Miya. Yesterday, I saw that they have reached Duliajan. A tsunami will happen here, but the result will be in Pakistan,” CM Sarma said.
He further claimed that Bangladeshi nationals were present in Assam and linked the issue to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
These remarks drew strong criticism from Opposition leaders, who warned that such statements could have serious consequences for social harmony.
Senior Congress leader Udit Raj said the Assam Chief Minister’s remarks would not go down well with the public and could even lead to “civil war”.
Speaking to LatestNewsX, Raj said, “Congress neither works for Bengali Muslims nor for Bengali Hindus. Congress views everyone as a citizen. It is good that what was once done covertly, Himanta Biswa Sarma has now openly stated.”
He further warned of the possible fallout, stating, “The results of such remarks will not be good; they will be dangerous. However, these people don’t really care for the country. If this continues, the country might face turbulence, it might be divided, or even see a civil war. And the BJP and RSS will be responsible for this,” Raj told LatestNewsX.
CPI(M) MP Amraram also condemned the comments, accusing the Assam government of using administrative exercises to marginalise vulnerable communities.
Speaking to LatestNewsX, he said, “This is what the Chief Minister always does. In the name of SIR, votes are being taken away from Dalits, minorities, SCs, and STs. Even when people are not being divided on the basis of Hindu or Muslim, votes are being manipulated in the name of SIR. All of these people are citizens of this country, whether Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Christian, or Buddhist. Creating hatred against them, I believe, is a betrayal of the country, its Constitution, and its unity.”
Samajwadi Party MP Ziaur Rahman Barq also criticised the Chief Minister’s remarks and told LatestNewsX, “A person who talks about dividing society and dividing the country should not be a chief minister.”
The BJP, however, came out in defence of the Assam Chief Minister, asserting that his remarks were aimed only at illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.
Speaking to LatestNewsX, BJP spokesperson Pratul Sahdeo said, “Himanta Biswa Sarma’s stand has always been that the SIR should be implemented strictly against the ‘Miyas,’ and by ‘Miyas’ he means illegal Muslim immigrants coming from Bangladesh.”
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