In a recent turn of events, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of Assam has come under fire as the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and an independent Rajya Sabha MP filed police complaints against him. The accusations revolve around what seems like a statement made by the Bharatiya Janata Party leader, targeting Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam in response to a query about the steep prices of vegetables in Gauhati, Sarma responded saying that while vegetables are relatively inexpensive in rural areas, their prices escalate significantly because traders from the Miya community transport them to cities for sale. Sarma has blamed the rise in vegetable prices to these traders. The current CM of Assam was also noted to have urged the youth of Upper and Middle Assam to ‘clean up’ the Miyas of Gauhati.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) of Assam has also joined the fray, urging judicial action against Sarma for his alleged remarks. In a letter addressed to Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, the TMC MP Ripun Bora spoke on this issue at a press conference held by TMC.
Addressing a press conference at the state headquarters today, demanded action against Assam CM @himantabiswa for continuously spreading hatred across the state. pic.twitter.com/gCnHjYTfDz
— Ripun Bora (@ripunbora) July 17, 2023
Tensions continue to simmer in Assam as TMC President Ripun Bora urges Chief Justice Chandrachud to take action against Sarma for his alleged hate speech targeting the ‘Miya’ community. Bora spoke of the need for the Assam government to proactively address the incident, even suggesting the possibility of suo motu contempt proceedings.
The Asom Sankhayalaghu Sangram Parishad had also launched an FIR on 17th July, 2023 at the Nagaon Sadar Police Station.
The controversy surrounding Sarma blew up after he commented on the high vegetable prices in Gauhati. He drew comparisons between the pricing strategies of ‘Miya’ vendors and Assamese vendors, suggesting that the Muslims were exploiting people.
Independent Rajya Sabha MP Ajit Bhuyan, who filed a complaint against Sarma at the Dispur police station. The complaint reads as follows: “Himanta Biswa Sarma, CM of Assam asked people from Upper Assam area to come to Guwahati and in that event he would clear Guwahati from ‘Miyas’. Apart from making said statement which is available on social media. Such statements on the face of it are interned to create a division among different communities in the state and clearly prejudicial to national integration.” In the complaint, Bhuyan also stressed the need for an investigation into the matter, citing a recent Supreme Court directive on hate speech cases.
The CPI (M) has also lodged a complaint at the Latasil police station against Sarma, accusing him of making hate speeches that could fuel divisions and tensions among religious communities. AIUDF chief and Lok Sabha MP Badruddin Ajmal was also included in their complaint. The party has called for action to be taken against both politicians under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code that address promoting enmity, malicious acts, and assertions prejudicial to national integration.
While the police have received the complaints, no First Information Report (FIR) has been registered against Chief Minister Sarma as of now.
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