Trinamool Writes To Chief Justice Over Himanta Sarma’s ”Miya” Remark

Guwahati:

The Trinamool Congress has written to Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud seeking judicial action against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Sarma, alleging that the BJP leader has made a “hate speech” against the ‘Miya’ community.

An Independent Rajya Sabha MP, Ajit Bhuyan, on Monday also filed a police complaint against the Chief Minister for the same remark.

Mr Sarma, while responding to reporters’ questions last week on the high price of vegetables in Guwahati, had said, “Vegetables are not priced so high in villages. Here the Miya vendors charge us more. Had it been Assamese vendors selling vegetables, they wouldn’t have fleeced their own people.”

“I will clear all the footpaths of Guwahati and I urge our Assamese people to come forward and start their businesses,” he added.

‘Miya’ is a pejorative term used for Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam.

Assam Trinamool chief Ripun Bora, in the letter to the Chief Justice of India, urged for initiation of suo motu contempt proceeding against the Assam government. He maintained that Mr Sarma’s statement could “not only provoke a section of people but also incite communal hatred”.

Rajya Sabha MP Ajit Bhuyan claimed that such remarks are intended to create a division among different communities in the state and are prejudicial to national integration.

Spotlighting a recent Supreme Court direction for cases against hate speeches, Mr Bhuyan sought registration of a case against Mr Sarma under provisions of the Indian Penal Code and “investigate the matter and to take action”.