Quite disappointing
‘Infiltrators make up 40 MLAs in Assam assembly… they become ministers, speakers, magistrates’: Himanta’s latest during BJP campaign
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s comments while campaigning in Jharkhand that “infiltrators from Bangladesh” make up 1.25 crore of Assam’s population and account for 40 of its 126 MLAs has stirred controversy in his home state.
Polling for the Lok Sabha elections in Assam concluded on May 7 in the third phase and since then, Sarma has been campaigning for the BJP in different states, with his controversial statements drawing national attention.
At a press conference in Ranchi on Wednesday, Sarma claimed that “infiltrators” from Bangladesh pose a threat to the tribals in Jharkhand and held up Assam as an example to beware of.
“Infiltration from Bangladesh started in Assam 40 years ago. At that time, the Congress was in power. They could not figure out what would happen 40 years later. Now in Assam, the infiltrators’ volume is 1.25 crore. This has become a very big problem and Assamese people have lost their identity. That’s why I am coming to Jharkhand and saying, don’t make mistakes like us. We made a mistake 40 years ago, we didn’t protect our borders. You don’t let Rohingyas come in… Bengal and Assam made mistakes. What we should have done at that time, we were not able to do. At that time, we didn’t have Narendra Modi… Now Modi ji is with Jharkhand,” he said.
The final draft of the Assam National Register of Citizens which was published in 2019 excluded 19 lakh, a significant number of whom are expected to be able to clear their names in the appeal process which will take place when the draft is notified since their exclusion was on technical grounds.
Claiming an ongoing “existential threat” in Assam, he said: “Stop infiltrators, otherwise within 20 years, across Jharkhand, the indigenous will become a minority. That is Assam’s fate… Now the infiltrators take up 40-40 seats in our assembly. They become ministers, speakers, magistrates, DCs… we are now fighting for our existence… We fight everyday…”
Following Sarma’s statements, Aminul Islam, General Secretary of the AIUDF which has its primary base among Muslims of Bengali-origin, dismissed his claims as “election oriented”.
“These are unconstitutional things to say. He is the Chief Minister, his party is in power in the state and in the centre. If there are Bangladeshis, why are they just sitting idle? Why are they not being able to take action? These are all election-oriented speeches… It is unfortunate that someone of the Chief Minister’s stature is saying such things,” he said.
Assam Congress Chief Bhupen Borah also hit out at Sarma for his statements while on the campaign trail in different states. In Delhi, Sarma had been quoted as saying: “When we got 300 seats, we built the Ram Mandir. Now, when we get 400 seats, Krishna Janmabhoomi will be built and Baba Vishwanath Mandir will also be built in place of Gyanvapi Mosque.”
Bora said: “On one side the Prime Minister is crying on the TV and saying I don’t do Hindu-Muslim, now there’s a new person from our region raking up Hindu-Muslim. He’s seen that people have gotten benefits from such things for 10 years, so he’s saying, ‘let me also try’.”
Sivasagar MLA and Raijor Dol leader Akhil Gogoi had sharper words for Sarma: “It’s unfortunate that Assam’s Chief Minister is making the most communal and fundamentalist speeches in the country now… Please don’t humiliate and disrespect the people of the state this way.”
Sukrita Baruah – 2024-05-17 06:30
+ There are no comments
Add yours