Guwahati-based high court advocate Aman Wadud said that Sarma always tries to hide behind such ugly tactics whenever he is on the back foot.
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has come under fire for calling Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ as ‘Miya Yatra’ to target Bengali-speaking Muslims in the state.
Responding to the corruption accusation levelled against him by Gandhi, Sarma said “This is not ‘Nyay Yatra, it’s ‘Miya Yatra’. Wherever there are Muslims, they visit those places”.
He said it’s only Muslims who will be attending the yatra. “Even among Muslims, women will not attend. Only Muslim men will be part of the yatra,” he said.
Earlier Gandhi had called Sarma “most corrupt chief minister” during his yatra when it entered Assam. In response, Sarma targeted Rahul’s family and Muslims.
Sarma, who often makes controversial remarks to target the minority community, has now come under fire for taking Islamophobic jibe at the yatra.
Responding to Sarma’s ‘Miya jibe’, journalist Smita Sharma said: “Those ‘Miyas’ constantly referred to with contempt are fellow Indian citizens. What kind of sad insecurity drives this constant portrayal of one’s own citizens as ‘others’ because of their religion?! Is there no other retort to resort to?”
Guwahati-based high court advocate Aman Wadud said that Sarma always tries to hide behind such ugly tactics whenever he is on the back foot.
“There are no Bengali Muslims (aka Miyan in Assam) in Jorhat, thousands of people were on the street to welcome Rahul Gandhi. Himanta Biswa hides behind Miyans every time he is at the back foot, the people have started realising his ugly tactics!,” posted Wadud.
Jeenal N. Gala, member of Congress’s minority department, said that such remarks are made to divert attention from the corruption charges made against him and his family members.
“When accused of corruption, minorities are attacked to divert attention. This is the nafrat we are fighting. Every Indian must resist this hatred,” she said.
Netta D’Souza, former president of All India Mahila Congress, said that Sarma plays the politics of hatred and religion and discriminates against people on the basis of religion.
“The poster boy @himantabiswa of BJP Washing Machine Factory only knows how to do politics of hatred and poison. It would be foolish to expect them to understand the sacrifice of the Gandhi family. Discriminating in the name of religion and making low-level comments has been their old habit,” said D’Souza.
She further said: “It is against this hatred and injustice of BJP leaders that our leader Rahul Gandhi has set out on “Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra”. This fight for justice will continue until we get our right to justice.”
Meanwhile, Congress general secretary Jai Ram Ramesh also responded to the remarks made by Sarma. He said “It is abundantly clear that the Assam CM is rattled and is nervous by the tremendous response being received by the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra over the past 2 days in Assam. People from ALL sections of Assam’s diverse society and people of ALL ages have been enthusiastically welcoming Rahul Gandhi. The visuals speak for themselves”.