Himanta Sarma's "Trouble Miyas" Remark Sparks Row, Congress's Court Move

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said that he encourages troubling the "Miya Muslims" to drive them back from the state, sparking a massive controversy in the election-bound northeastern state.

Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam are often referred to as 'Miyas' and labelled as "illegal infiltrators" by the BJP as the narrative turns communal to unite the Hindu votes ahead of elections.

"Trouble the Miya Muslims by any means. If they face trouble, they will go from Assam. If I want to give trouble to Miya, I go at 12 am. It's not an issue. We are directly against the Miya Muslims. We are not hiding anything; we directly say that we are against Miyas. Earlier, people feared that notices would be served against them. Now, I encourage everyone to give trouble to Miya. Yesterday, I saw that they have reached Duliajan. A tsunami will happen here, but the result will be in Pakistan," Sarma stated.

Read: '4-5 Lakh Miya Votes Will Be Cut During Assam SIR': Himanta Sarma

The chief minister said that he has asked BJP workers to file bulk 'form 7' against Miyas. Sarma said he did so through video conferencing and asked BJP workers to file complaints during the ongoing Special Revision exercise.

Form 7 is used for raising objections to the inclusion of a name on the voter list, or deletion of one's own or another person's name.

The process of special revision of electoral rolls is underway in Assam. The Congress had earlier alleged bulk submission of Form 7 without providing any specific reasons and details under the SR of electoral rolls in Assam and sought the intervention of the chief electoral officer over the matter.

"It is a known fact that there are Bangladeshi Miyas in Assam. Has anybody got notice in Thowra or Dimou? No one received any notice. If Bangladeshi Miyas do not get notice in the SIR then what it will mean is that there are no foreigners in Assam," Sarma told mediapersons.

Read: 'Turning Districts Into Miya Lands': Himanta Sarma's Charge Against Congress

Meanwhile, Assam's opposition leader Debabrata Saikia has written to the Chief Justice of India, urging suo motu cognisance of the misuse of special revision of electoral rolls.

"The situation has transcended the realm of administrative irregularity and has assumed the character of a constitutional crisis, where the right to vote under Article 326 (Basis of the Universal Adult Suffrage) of the Constitution of India is being systematically undermined through executive interference, communal targeting, and misuse of statutory procedures," his letter read.

He said, "It has come to public notice through repeated media briefings and categorical statements made by the Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, that notices under the Special Revision are being deliberately served only upon a particular community, namely the "Miya" (Bengali-origin Muslim) population, to "keep them under pressure," "make them suffer," and to demonstrate "resistance" in Assam. He has publicly stated that the government is "giving them trouble" and that such notices, eviction drives and actions by the border police form part of a conscious and continuing policy decision."

Read: "Don't Stop At One Child, Have 2-3": Himanta Sarma To Hindu Couples

"Such statements amount to an open confession that the Special Revision of electoral rolls and the use of Form-7 are being employed not for their lawful purpose, but as instruments of intimidation, harassment and targeted disenfranchisement of a particular community. This directly undermines the independence of the Election Commission of India, politicizes the electoral process, and violates the constitutional guarantees of equality, fraternity, secularism and non-discrimination. The present misuse of Form-7, which is meant only for genuine and limited objections, has converted a regulatory mechanism into a weapon of mass voter suppression," stated Saikia.

He added, "The public declarations of the Chief Minister that: only "Miyas" are being served notices, that the object is to "make them suffer," that "four to five lakh Miya votes will be cut," and that the Government is "trying to steal Miya votes," constitute an unprecedented admission of intent to interfere with the electorate on communal lines."

The Gauhati High Court on Wednesday listed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking judicial intervention into the alleged large-scale misuse of objections during Assam's Special Revision of electoral rolls, amid the controversy.