Assam Cm Himanta Biswa Sarma. (File Photo)
Himanta Sarma while addressing the media stated, “I know the migrant Muslims are not going to vote for me. But they have been used by AIUDF and Congress for votes only”
As the political parties in Assam are bracing for the Lok Sabha Elections 2024, the issue of the migrant Muslims in Assam has once again come to the fore. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said that 70 per cent of people in Guwahati are migrant Muslims “Pomua.”
Sarma while addressing the media also stated, “I know the migrant Muslims are not going to vote for me. But they have been used by AIUDF and Congress for votes only. It’s only from our government that they are enjoying all the benefits of all the schemes. We don’t expect votes from them, but development will not stop.”
“Unlike AIUDF and Congress, We will never go and count our votes in those areas inhabited by them in the majority, but they will still enjoy the schemes. So it seems we are the best government for them. Now what can we do if they don’t like us?” he added.
The chief minister’s statement came after AIUDF chief Badrudiin Ajmal earlier said that Muslims must not vote for the BJP as Sarma doesn’t require votes from ‘Miya Muslims’
“Himanta Biswa Sarma says he doesn’t want Miya Muslim votes. Let us show him, that Muslims in Assam will not vote for him for the next 100 years. If all the Muslims in Guwahati leave it will be empty,” said Ajmal said.
However, the Congress, which is often attributed to the rise of the migrant Muslims in Assam by the ruling BJP, said that the AIUDF is irrelevant only to some people.
APCC President Bhupen Bora said, “AIUDF is very unimportant and irrelevant in the state. It’s only a few people who have kept him forcefully relevant due to political benefits.”
The rise of migrant Muslims in Assam from Bangladesh has been an age-long issue in the state.
Assam Agitation 1979 to CAA in 2018, all the riots happened around this issue of the migrant Muslims from Bangladesh enjoying all the rights as a citizen in the state, even getting permanently settled.
The current BJP government blames it on the opposition Congress for using them as vote banks and turning them from migrants to citizens. On the other hand, Congress counters by stating that the leaders who are now in the BJP were then in Congress.