Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday declared in the assembly that he would take a firm stand and prevent 'Miya' Muslims from "taking over" Assam.
His remarks were made during a discussion on adjournment motions raised by opposition parties concerning the state's law and order situation, following the recent rape of a 14-year-old girl in Nagaon.
'Miya' is originally a pejorative term used for Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam and the non-Bengali speaking people generally identify them as Bangladeshi immigrants. In recent years, activists from the community have started adopting this term as a gesture of defiance.
Himanta Biswa Sarma On Muslim Population
Replying to the motion, Sarma said the crime rate has not increased if the population growth is taken into account.
When the opposition charged him of being partial, Sarma retorted, "I will take sides. What can you do about it?"
"Why will people from Lower Assam go to Upper Assam? So that Miya Muslims can take over Assam? We won't let it happen," he asserted.
Amid the heated debate, members of both treasury and opposition benches stormed into the Well of the House when Speaker Biswajit Daimary adjourned the proceedings for 10 minutes.
MLAs of Congress, AIUDF, and CPI(M), and lone Independent legislator Akhil Gogoi had moved four adjournment motions for discussion on the situation arising out of increasing crimes in the state, including crimes against women.
The opposition parties in Assam on Tuesday held demonstrations in various parts of Guwahati, including the assembly complex, alleging the failure of the government to protect women and prevent crime against them.
Congress MLAs led by Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia marched from inside the assembly building to the statue of Mahatma Gandhi within the compound, holding placards and shouting slogans demanding the safety of women and condemning the targeting of a particular community for all crimes against women.
Nagaon Fish Traders Stop Supply In Protest Over 'Miya' Issue
A section of fish traders from Nagaon district on Tuesday announced that they would not send their products to Upper Assam for an indefinite period in response to a movement against the 'Miya' community there.
Around four quintals of fish are supplied daily from Nagaon to the Upper Assam region comprising nine districts.
A fish traders' association in Nagaon has decided to suspend the supply of fish to Upper Assam districts for an indefinite period after a section of the people targeted the Miya community over the gang-rape of a minor girl at Dhing in the district.
"After the Dhing incident, which we all condemn, some groups in the Upper Assam districts have started targeting the Miya people. This is not acceptable and so we decided to stop fish exports to those areas," news agency PTI quoted Greater Juria Fish Keepers Association president Ibrahim Khan as saying.
