- Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma dismissed Jamiat’s demand for his resignation.
- The demand was made over a major eviction drive in the state.
- Sharma said the people of Assam, not Jamiat, will decide who is CM.
- He also accused Congress of being Jamiat’s ‘B-team’.
GG News Bureau
Guwahati, 23rd Aug: “I show Jamiat my ‘boori ungli’,” Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said in a major statement, completely rejecting the demand from Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind for an FIR against him for ‘hate speech’ and his resignation. Jamiat had made this demand in protest of the ongoing eviction drives in the state, which have left thousands of people homeless.
Sarma launched a sharp attack on Jamiat’s president, Mahmood Madani, saying that if he ever met him, he would send him to Bangladesh. Speaking to reporters during an event in Morigaon, Sarma said, “I show Jamiat my ‘boori ungli’.”
In Assamese, showing the ‘boori ungli’ means to completely ignore or disregard someone’s demand. “This finger of mine has Assamese blood, strength, and courage. I don’t care at all about what Jamiat is demanding,” he stressed.
Established in 1919, Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind is considered one of the largest and most influential organizations of Muslims in India. On Wednesday, during a meeting of its executive committee, the organization expressed concern over the ongoing eviction drive in Assam. The drive has made approximately 50,000 families homeless, most of whom are Bengali-speaking Muslims.
Jamiat passed a resolution appealing to the President of India and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court to immediately remove Himanta Biswa Sarma from his post and take legal action against him for hate speech. In response, Sarma said, “Who will be the Chief Minister of Assam will be decided by the people of Assam, not by Jamiat president Mahmood Madani. I will only say that I don’t care about Jamiat or anyone else.”
He also said that if anyone attacks the Chief Minister of Assam, regardless of which party they belong to, the people of Assam will oppose it because the Chief Minister is chosen by the public, not by Jamiat. Sarma also called Congress Jamiat’s “B-team” and said that Congress has not issued a single statement on this issue.
“When the semiconductor facility came to Jagiroad, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s son opposed it, and the Assam Congress leaders also agreed with him,” he said. Sarma referred to the Assam Congress leaders as “sardars of unknown people,” saying that they do not represent the native Assamese people but want to be with the “unknown people.” However, Sarma did not clarify who he meant by “unknown people.” It is worth noting that he also mentioned “unknown people” in his Independence Day speech, which was seen as a reference to Bengali-speaking Muslims.
Recently, eviction drives have intensified in Assam, under which illegally occupied settlements are being removed. Jamiat claims that these actions have mainly affected Bengali-speaking Muslims, many of whom have been living in Assam for decades. Tensions are rising between the Assam government and various organizations over this issue. However, Sarma’s stance makes it clear that he is not ready to bow to any pressure and his government’s approach on this issue will remain strict.
