Hyderabad: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is facing heat day after the state assembly ended the two-hour break provided on Fridays to facilitate Muslim legislators to offer 'namaz'.
Among those leading the attack is former Bihar deputy chief minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav who accused Sarma of seeking "cheap popularity" and called him "Chinese version of Yogi".
"In an attempt to gain cheap popularity and become the "Chinese version of Yogi", the Chief Minister of Assam deliberately keeps doing acts that harass Muslims. The people of BJP have made Muslim brothers a soft target to spread hatred, attract the attention of Modi-Shah and polarize the society. People of all religions, except RSS, have a hand in the independence of the country. Our Muslim brothers have made sacrifices in getting the country freedom and as long as we are here, no one can harm them," Yadav said in a post on X.
Bihar deputy chief minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav accused Assam CM Himanta Sarma of seeking " cheap popularity" and called him "chinese version of yogi"#TejashwiYadav #HimantaBiswaSarma #AssamLegislativeAssembly #NamazBreak pic.twitter.com/3e1G7NcCBF
— ETV Bharat (@ETVBharatEng) August 31, 2024
Hitting back at Tejashwi, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma asked why the RJD leader did not implement the namaz break facility when he was the deputy CM of Bihar. Himanta further said the practice would be revived in his state if those who are criticising him implement the same in their respective states. Himanta further said that the abolition of the namaz break was a collective decision taken by all the Hindu and Muslim legislators.
On Friday, shortly after Assam Assembly ended the Friday Namaaz break, Sarma, in a post on X, said, "By doing away with the 2-hour Jumma break, @AssamAssembly has prioritised productivity and shed another vestige of colonial baggage. This practice was introduced by Muslim League's Syed Saadulla in 1937." "My gratitude to Hon'ble Speaker Shri @BiswajitDaimar5 dangoriya and our legislators for this historical decision," he said. For the last time, this break was provided on Friday, the final day of the autumn session of the assembly.
Facing the heat, Sarma on Saturday claimed that Hindu and Muslim MLAs together sat and unanimously took the decision.
"The Hindus and Muslims of our assembly sat in the Malas Rule Committee and unanimously resolved that the two-hour break is not right. We should work during this period as well. This practice started in 1937 and has been discontinued. This is a unanimous decision. This is not just my decision alone," he said.
'Racist mentality': BJP hits back at Tejashwi
The BJP slammed the INDIA bloc after Tejashwi Yadav referred to Sarma as the "Chinese version of Yogi."
"Tejashwi Yadav labels Assam CM @himantabiswa as a “Chinese” because he is an Assamese and from the North-East! This reflects racist mentality of the INDI Alliance & it seems Sam Pitroda has taken over mindspace of Tejaswi when he makes such racist comments Does Rahul Gandhi, Gaurav Gogoi endorse this as “Muhabbat ki Dukaan” Will they end ties with RJD for such unconstitutional, anti Bharat Jodo, racist and hateful comments ?" BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla said in a post on X.
Tejashwi Yadav labels Assam CM @himantabiswa as a “Chinese” because he is an Assamese and from the North-East!
— Shehzad Jai Hind (Modi Ka Parivar) (@Shehzad_Ind) August 31, 2024
This reflects racist mentality of the INDI Alliance & it seems Sam Pitroda has taken over mindspace of Tejaswi when he makes such racist comments
Does Rahul Gandhi ,… pic.twitter.com/U20AfoGhfA
Don't Do This: Farooq Abdullah
Jammu and Kashmir former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah also reacted to the Assam government's decision, saying given the unity in diversity in India, it is necessary to protect the interests of every religion.
"Jab waqt aayega ye badal jayega. Achi cheeze phir se wapas aajayengi (When the time comes this will change. Good things will come back again). Don't do this. There is unity in diversity in this country. People of so many languages live here and that is why India is a federal structure. We have to protect every religion here," Farooq said.
Assam won't stand 'dog whistle' politics: Manoj Jha
RJD leader Manoj Jha lashed out at Himanta Biswa Sarma, saying that the Assam community won't stand for the kind of 'dog whistle' politics and such people will go into the "dustbin of history".
The RJD MP said: "If polarization and dog whistle politics become the only tool in your mind, then society continues to remain agitated. I know the society in which he is trying to do this. The Assam community will never stand for this kind of dog whistle politics. Such people will go into the dustbin of history," he added.
NDA ally JDU's leader slams Assam Govt
NDA ally JDU's leader Neeraj Kumar criticized the Assam government's decision and said that no one has the right to attack religious beliefs. Neeraj told ANI that it would be better if Assam CM had focused more on lifting people above poverty.
"The decision made by the Assam Chief Minister is against the core principles of the country's Constitution. Every religious belief has the right to preserve its traditions. I want to ask CM Sarma: You are imposing a ban on Friday holidays during Ramadan and claim that this will increase work efficiency. A significant part of Hindu tradition is the Maa Kamakhya Temple--can you impose a ban on the practice of sacrifice there?" he said.
