Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra on Thursday questioned the silence of the Prime Minister and the judiciary over Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s controversial remarks on ‘Miyas’.
She wrote on X: "How does a Prime Minister keep quiet at Himanta’s words? Because he knows he is guilty of the same. But how do the Courts who take suo moto cognisance of dog bites not react to this rabidity?"
The controversy stems from Sarma’s recent comments about Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam, particularly those of Bangladeshi origin, during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The CM defended his comments, citing the Supreme Court’s mention of a "silent and invidious demographic invasion" in the state.
"Those who are attacking me for my remarks on 'Miya' -- a word used in Assam in the context of Bangladeshi Muslim illegal migration -- should pause and read what the Supreme Court of India itself has said about Assam," Sarma said on Thursday.
Sarma also addressed concerns about employment, noting that the government cannot stop ‘Miyas’ who came before 1951 from working in Assam.
He said he has instructed all Public Works Department contractors to engage at least 50 per cent indigenous youths in future projects.
"If any Miya came before 1951, we cannot stop him from working here. We are also logical people. But in the last 20-30 years, Miyas have been trying to enter Assam after seeing developmental works here. If we stop them, they enter from Kolkata and Bengal," Sarma told reporters.
He added that if the people and government can protect the economy, the ‘Miyas’ do not get any chance in Assam.
On Tuesday, Sarma claimed that curtailing the names of ‘Miya’ voters from the electoral rolls was only a preliminary step.
He said that during the SIR later, four to five lakh votes of Muslims from Bangladesh will be cancelled.
"There is no problem for Assamese people due to the SIR, but the Miyas are facing hardship as they do not belong here, and notices are being sent to them to keep them under pressure or else they will walk over our heads," he said.
He added: "The Congress can accuse me as much as they want, but my job is to trouble the Miyas so that they cannot vote in Assam."
