Every Assamese Muslim has a Hindu pet name: Rajen Gohain

Senior opposition leader and former BJP leader Rajen Gohain has launched a sharp attack on Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, accusing him of attempting to disrupt the long-standing harmony between Assamese Hindus and Muslims for political gains.

“The Chief Minister wants to destroy the harmony between Assamese Hindus and Muslims,” Gohain alleged, questioning, “Why does the Chief Minister want to set fire to a society that has been living in harmony for generations?”

Criticising the Chief Minister’s repeated references to so-called “outsiders,” Gohain asked, “Who are those ‘outsiders’ the Chief Minister keeps talking about?” He added, “If they were really outsiders, they should have been arrested and deported. That has not been done.”

Taking aim at the government’s employment record, the opposition leader said, “The Chief Minister has failed to create an employment revolution among Assamese youth.” He pointed out that ordinary households still depend on Muslim workers for essential services. “We still have to depend on Miya workers to find masons and mechanics. In times of need, we ourselves have to call those very ‘outsiders’ the Chief Minister talks about,” Gohain said.

Gohain further accused the Chief Minister of merely projecting an image of toughness. “He only wants to show that he is alert and vigilant against Bangladeshis. There is no need to mislead the Assamese community with reckless remarks,” he remarked.

Highlighting Assam’s shared cultural and religious history, Gohain said the Chief Minister lacked basic knowledge of the state’s composite heritage. “The Chief Minister does not even know who Azan Pir and Chandsai were,” he said. Referring to the Neo-Vaishnavite saint Srimanta Sankardeva, Gohain added, “Sankardeva had a Muslim disciple named Sangkhai. Does the Chief Minister know that?”

He also spoke about social traditions that reflect Hindu-Muslim unity in Assam. “Every Assamese Muslim has a Hindu pet name. If someone’s official name is Salek, his pet name will be Bapdhon,” Gohain said. Citing an age-old custom, he added, “In Sivadol of Sivasagar, the first prayer is traditionally performed at a Muslim family’s home.”

“Do not trust that man,” Gohain said, referring to the Chief Minister. “If he loves Assam so much, why couldn’t he produce an electrician, a mechanic, or a mason from within the community?”

Gohain, who was once part of the BJP, accused the Chief Minister of deliberately trying to weaken social unity. “He is only trying to destroy the unity of the Assamese community,” he said.

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