This is certainly not the first time that the BJP chief minister from Assam has made a speech that divides the people in the name of religion, caste and community. This is just another degradation in Indian Democracy in the name of caste, creed and religion.
On June 22, 2024 during a felicitation programme of the winning BJP candidates from Assam, BJP leader – Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma has claimed that the people is of ‘Bangladeshi-origin’ and the minority community members overwhelmingly voted for the Congress in the general assembly election of 2024.
He told the media, “Without considering the developmental work done for them by the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in the state.”
He added, “We analysed 39 per cent votes of the Congress. It is not spread across the state. Fifty per cent of it is concentrated in 21 assembly segments which are minority dominated. In these minority-dominated segments, BJP got 3 per cent votes.”
While the BJP won around 240 seats in total across the in the 18th General Assembly elections of 2024, they BJP is Assam had witnessed a lacklustre performance in terms of its vote share.
Further, seemingly stoking communal sentiments, Sarma has claimed, “One thing this election proved is that Hindus do not indulge in communalism. If someone commits communalism in Assam, one community does it, one religion does it, and no other commits communalism this election is proof of that. Someone is contesting against Sarbananda Sonowal Ji, someone is contesting against Bijuli Kalita Medhi, and someone is contesting against Dilip Saikia. The people of Assam have voted for us on the basis of merit, hope, aspiration and within the complainant of scarcity, they also voted for the party that was against us. There are no roads, no job, and even after accepting it, not a single person has complained about our During the Congress days, no land patta was received in char.”
Blaming the ‘minority community’, Sarma further stated, “The minority community people are living in misery due to poverty during the Congress days. In the minority areas, there is not a single road, no electricity, no thought of increasing prices. No matter what the officials have been doing, the minority vote for the Congress and this time also they have flooded them with their votes.” Sarma is an incumbent chief minister in Assam. Going further, he seems to be reportedly taking a partisan stance, and calling his party, BJP, as one that stands for ‘Hindu society.’
As per government data, the Muslim community continues to see high dropout rates in the state at 29 percent. Their education rates in the state are lower than that of other marginalised communities, such as Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
“We, the people of Assam should learn that those who have been calling the BJP communal for so long. The BJP can say that if we stand somewhere for the Hindu society. If we stand somewhere for the Assamese society, if we stand for the people of the nation, we have not got 100 votes out of the 100 votes. None of our MPs won by 10-12 lakh votes. But if we go for the vote centres for the minority people of Bangladesh origin in Assam excluding Karimganj, out of 100 votes, only 99 votes have been received by the Congress. Earlier their contract was with Badruddin Ajmal, now the contract has been transferred to Rokibul Hussain. Only the contract was changed but not the team. The idea of communalism has not changed.”
Sabrang India has previously published an analysis of how people voted against BJP’s hate and communalism and in favour of democracy in Assam and the entire North East. While the BJP has maintained its hold on nine seats in the state, which is equal to its performance in the previous general assembly elections in 2019. It also has increased its vote share from 36.4% to 37.43%. However, the Indian National Congress (INC) edged out the BJP in terms of vote share increase, and has risen from 35.8% to 37.48%, even though the party has only retained its previous number of three seats.
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