CPI(M) wants Assam CM ‘behind bars’, urges SC to take cognizance

“There is nothing to hide…we are against the Miyas…yes, we are stealing Miya votes…yes, it is a national duty to file objections in Form 7 to the Election Commission to seek deletion of their names from electoral rolls…I have openly asked BJP workers file objections…we are against Miyas exercising their franchise here; they should go and vote in Bangladesh…”

These are just some of the more provocative and incendiary statements made by Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in the recent past.

Though he introduced a nuance on 28 January, saying he was not against Muslims but Bangladeshis, the Assam chief minister has not missed any opportunity to target ‘Miyas’ since Saturday, 24 January. He in fact called upon people on Tuesday to harass ‘Miyas’ economically and pay Muslim rickshaw pullers less than the legitimate fare. If the fare is Rs 5, Biswa Sarma said, people should pay only Rs 4.

The response from national media has been muted until now. The Opposition, too, appears not to have taken the statements too seriously. Barring a dig posted by Congress leader Pawan Khera, who posted, 'Himanta Biswa Sarma is once again trying to fool the people of Assam. Paying Rupees 4 instead of Rupees 5 to “Miyas” will not make the people of Assam rich; but the sale of over 1.5 lakh bighas of Sixth Schedule–protected land and Assamese identity to corporate interests by that Bhumi-Bikreta Himanta has certainly made Assam poor.

'So, Himanta, don’t keep people tangled in one Rupee. Talk about the thousands of crores you have gobbled up from people of Assam to fill your deep pockets,” there has been little blowback.

The CPI(M), however, issued a strong statement on Wednesday, 28 January condemning the statements made by someone holding a constitutional post. “He is a disgrace to India and its secular values and must be put behind bars immediately,” the statement read.

“Even as the Supreme Court is still hearing petitions challenging the SIR exercise, this man is openly advocating the abuse of this process and instigating his followers to do the same. Will the Court take suo moto cognizance of the highly communal provocative statements he is making and take action for vitiating communal harmony and creating enmity between communities?” the statement asked.

Biswa Sarma may well argue that he has been saying nothing new; that he is merely repeating what Union home minister Amit Shah has been saying for so long; that Bangladeshi Muslims are like "termites" and the BJP government will identify each one and send them back to Bangladesh. Last year did witness a surge in police across the country targeting Bengali-speaking people, detaining many of them and even pushing some of them across the border into Bangladesh.

What, however, explains Biswa Sarma’s fresh statements, made virtually every single day over the past five days? He was candid enough to admit that he was trying to polarise the electorate. “For the next 30 years, Assam has to practice politics of polarisation — and this polarisation is a fight to save our identity. It is between indigenous people of Assam and illegal Bangladeshis,” he has been quoted as saying.

Stoking Assamese nationalism and identity and directing people to blame Muslims for their trouble is, however, fraught with risks. Already, irresponsible elements on social media are seen welcoming the chief minister’s stance, interpreting it as a green signal to go after Muslims. If things do get out of hand and violence breaks out in the state, the responsibility to a great measure will rest on the chief minister. Can he really enjoy immunity from prosecution, if that happens?

Among the various explanations being offered for the chief minister’s irresponsible conduct is one that attributes his recklessness to signals within the BJP that he might lose the election; and that even if he manages to lead the BJP and allies to scrape through, he may no longer be the preferred choice as chief minister. That may just explain the desperation evident in the statements.