House on the Moon, Fare Cut for Miya? Owaisi’s Sharp Swipe at Assam CM

AIMIM chief and Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi launched a sharp attack on Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over his recent remarks concerning “Miya” rickshaw pullers, accusing him of promoting discrimination and violating constitutional principles.

Addressing the media, Owaisi criticised the Chief Minister’s reported comment suggesting that if a “Miya” auto-rickshaw driver charges ₹5, passengers should pay only ₹4. Holding up a two-rupee coin, the AIMIM leader mocked the statement, calling it reflective of a “small-minded” approach unbecoming of a constitutional authority.

“Can any Chief Minister say that if the auto driver is a Miya, you should pay one rupee less?” Owaisi asked. “Miya in Assam refers to people who were brought by the British around 150 years ago to work there. Their only fault is that their mother tongue is Bengali.”

Owaisi questioned how such remarks align with India’s aspirations of becoming a global economic power. “You say India will become the world’s third-largest economy, a superpower, that we will build houses on the moon. Is this how we plan to do it—by paying one rupee less if the auto driver is a Miya? Is this how we fight China?” he said.

Escalating his criticism, Owaisi said, “I want to give Himanta Biswa Sarma a charity of two rupees. Will he accept my two-rupee alms or not? I want to deposit two rupees into his account.” He further remarked that the Assam Chief Minister was “a person of very low standards.”

The AIMIM MP also invoked constitutional values, stating that both he and the Chief Minister had taken oath under the Constitution to treat all citizens equally, irrespective of religion or community. He alleged that the Assam Chief Minister’s remarks suggesting that “Miyas should vote in Bangladesh, not India” were deeply divisive.

Referring to President Droupadi Murmu’s address in Parliament, Owaisi said the President had spoken about taking everyone along on the path of progress. “Where are we heading now?” he asked, warning that such statements by senior leaders could undermine social harmony and constitutional equality.

The Assam government has not yet issued a response to Owaisi’s remarks.

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