Photo courtesy: Yasir Iqbal
New Delhi: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the BJP does not need ‘Miya’ votes referring to the Bengali-origin Muslim community in Assam, which is often colloquially referred to as ‘Miya’ Muslims.
Speaking at the 19th edition of the India Today Conclave 2021, Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “I don’t want Miya votes, we live in harmony I don’t go to them for votes, and they also don’t come to me.”
Himanta Biswa Sarma said many people in the state believe immigrant Muslims are the root cause of why Assam has lost identity, culture and land. Himanta Biswa Sarma also said that there was no community-based politics in Assam.
Himanta Biswa Sarma said encroachment was taking place because immigrant Muslims were producing in large numbers. “Many Assamese people think this way. This process started before Independence. I am carrying this burden of history with me,” India Today reported Himanta Biswa Sarma as saying.
Notably, clashes broke out in Sipajhar’s Dholpur 3 village last month as thousands protested against the government’s eviction drive against “illegal encroachers”. Two civilians had died in police firing. At least 12 others, including a policeman, were injured.
“There is no hate narrative in Assam. We evicted them because there is land of 77,000 acres. 1,000 families cannot occupy this land. Our policy is that one family cannot occupy land more than 2 acres. We have to give land to many people. We have to evict people if they encroach upon land. Eviction is a continuous process. Local Assamese people are also being evicted. No communalisation on this,” Sarma was quoted as saying.
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