‘Hindu-Muslim issues hard realities of life,’ says Himanta Sarma; Assam opposition urges President to dismiss CM for inciting communities | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday alleged that there is a growing tendency among the opposition to prevent ‘indigenous Hindu MLAs‘ from speaking in the assembly.
His remarks came during the discussion of The Assam Land and Revenue Regulation (Second Amendment) Bill, 2024. Sarma condemned the opposition for interrupting a speech by his party MLA Bhuban Pegu.
“There is a new tendency in the House not to allow indigenous Hindu MLAs to speak.It’s a dangerous trend. Please do not be so aggressive. After our land, now don’t try to capture the assembly,” Sarma said.
Pegu’s speech referenced historical assembly records about alleged migration and aggression from the then East Bengal into Assam.
“You cannot stop talking about Hindu-Muslim issues. These are hard realities of life. Even the census asks us to write down our religion,” said the chief minister.

Commenting on the Bill, which was passed by the Assembly, Sarma described it as a fight for the survival of the Assamese community, which he claimed is ‘about to be extinct’. “Our land in Dhubri, Goalpara, Barpeta, Darrang, Nagaon, Morigaon have gone. Now, we are struggling to survive,” he added.

The discussion escalated further, leading Congress MLAs to stage a walkout in protest of Sarma’s statement.

Assam opposition parties urge President to dismiss CM
A delegation from the United Opposition Forum, Assam (UOFA) submitted a memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu, calling for the dismissal of CM Sarma. They accused him of failing to maintain law and order and inciting division among communities with his statements. The memorandum was handed over to the President through Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya at the Raj Bhavan. The delegation was led by Congress Lok Sabha MP Pardyut Bordoloi and UOFA general secretary Lurinjyoti Gogoi.
The opposition parties claimed that over the past two years, CM Sarma has made several provocative statements, including on the floor of the assembly, targeting the Muslim community. According to them, about a year ago, Sarma incited certain youths to expel religious minorities from Guwahati, who were working as vegetable vendors, rickshaw pullers, private drivers, and construction laborers.

The memorandum also mentioned an incident where the Gauhati HC reprimanded the state government for demolishing houses of Muslim families in Batadrava, Nagaon district, using bulldozers. The court ordered compensation for the affected families.
“The chief minister tried to whip up communal frenzy by targeting the Muslim community, which led to the attack on some people belonging to religious minorities in Sivasagar by BJP leaders and workers,” the opposition parties alleged.
On the issue of law and order, the opposition leaders highlighted that encounter deaths by police are reportedly the highest in Assam according to a Centre’s report presented in Parliament. They also claimed that incidents of killings, dacoities, rapes, and murders have become regular occurrences during Sarma’s tenure.
Additionally, the UOFA pointed out a significant security lapse, stating that on Independence Day this year, the United Liberation Front of Assam (Independent), or ULFA(I), planted bombs at multiple locations. The police were unaware of the threat until the outfit revealed it via an email.
The memorandum also provided statistics on sexual crimes, stating that during the BJP’s rule from 2016-2023, 17,657 rape cases were recorded as per government data. Furthermore, in the last seven months alone, 580 new rape cases were reported, with 15 occurrences in August this year.
“It is clear from the above facts that the Chief Minister has compromised his oath of office in the name of the Constitution, grossly violated the Constitution by creating hatred and enmity among different communities by his series of provocative statements, failed to provide security to the life and property of citizens and indulged in rampant corruption.”
Besides Bordoloi and Gogoi, the memorandum was signed by state Congress president Bhupen Borah, leader of the opposition in the state assembly Debabrata Saikia, Lok Sabha MP Rakibul Hussain, CPI(M)’s Isfaqur Rahman, Raijor Dal’s Russel Dal, and others.