‘Who Decides Citizenship?’ Owaisi Questions Assam CM Over Miya Muslims

GUWAHATI: The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday strongly criticised Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, accusing him of targeting the ‘Miya’ Muslim community and indulging in communal politics in the state.

Reacting to Sarma’s recent remarks on Miya Muslim rickshaw pullers and daily wage earners, Owaisi questioned what he described as the systematic humiliation of a particular community, despite their long-standing presence in Assam.

Owaisi said Miya Muslims had arrived in Assam 150 to 200 years ago, many of them brought by the British to work as labourers, and questioned why they continue to be portrayed as outsiders.

“They speak Bengali, but they are genuine citizens of India. Is being an Indian citizen a crime?” Owaisi asked, directing his questions at both Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Taking sharp exception to Sarma’s reported comment suggesting that rickshaw pullers should be paid ₹4 instead of ₹5, Owaisi said such remarks stood in contrast to the BJP’s larger claims of building a ‘Viksit Bharat’, becoming the world’s third-largest economy, and even talking about building houses on the Moon.

“You talk about competing with China, becoming a superpower, but you don’t want to pay one rupee to a poor worker,” Owaisi said. “Why should the poorest people pay the price of your politics?”

Owaisi also reminded Sarma that he had taken oath on the Constitution of India framed by Dr B.R. Ambedkar, while he himself had taken oath in the name of Allah, adding that equality before law was a constitutional duty.

Criticising remarks about sending “Bangladeshis” back to Bangladesh, Owaisi asked what crime Bengali-origin Muslims in Assam had committed to deserve such treatment.

“They are being humiliated simply for who they are,” he said, adding that the President’s recent address to Parliament had emphasised that all citizens must be treated equally.

Owaisi alleged that the Assam Chief Minister was attempting to polarise society through communal politics, despite the significant population of Bengali-origin Muslims who have lived in Assam for generations.

The Assam government is yet to respond to Owaisi’s remarks.

Also Read: Hours After Launch, Assam Congress Website Against CM Himanta Faces Disruption