Don't need Miya votes for 10 years: Himanta Biswa Sarma
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) doesn't need the votes of the Miya people, Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam, for the next 10 years until they abandon fundamentalism. He further claimed the Miya people support him, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the BJP. Sarma added they are welcome to keep showing their support without voting for the party. There are reportedly one crore Miyas in Assam, constituting 35% of the state's population.
Why does this story matter?
Sarma is known for making communally charged statements. He has made similar remarks previously, saying he doesn't want Muslim votes. BJP leaders, including Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, have previously peddled talking points for electoral polarization, like "80 versus 20' referring to the Hindu population's ratio to minorities. Numerous complaints were lodged against Sarma July for hate speech after he blamed Miyas for the price rise of vegetables in Assam. Last year, he shut down a museum showcasing Miya culture.
Sarma's conditions for Miyas to vote for BJP
Sarma said, "BJP will do public welfare and they (Miyas) will support us, but they don't need to vote for us. There is no harm in supporting us. Let them shout 'zindabad' for Himanta Biswa Sarma, Narendra Modi, and BJP." "When elections come, I myself will request them not to vote for us. When you will follow family planning, stop child marriage, and shed fundamentalism, then you vote for us," he added. He said these changes will take 10 years.
Will immediately open schools wherever required: Sarma
Sarma further said Miyas supporting him shouldn't indulge in child marriage and have more than two or three kids. He added that they should send their daughters to schools and adopt Sufism over fundamentalism. Moreover, when media persons pointed out the lack of proper schools in many "char" (riverine sandbar) areas, where Miyas mainly live, Sarma said schools would be set up right away if he received such information. He said seven colleges will be opened in minority-dominated areas soon.
FIR filed over alleged hate speech against Sonia Gandhi
Notably, Sarma has repeatedly accused the Congress of vote bank politics. Notably, he switched to the BJP from the Congress in 2015 ahead of the 2016 Assam Assembly elections. Since then, he has risen up the ranks and is known as the BJP's point man in Northeast India. While recently campaigning in poll-bound states such as Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, he allegedly called for burning down Congress leader Sonia Gandhi's residence, following which an FIR was filed for hate speech.
