'Chinese Version Of Yogi': Tejashwi Slams Himanta Biswa As Assam Scraps 2-Hr Jumma Break For Muslim MLAs

The Assam assembly scrapped a two-hour Jumma break provided on Fridays to Muslim legislators to offer 'namaz'. Following this, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav lashed out at the BJP for targeting Muslims.

As the Assam Assembly scrapped the two-hour Jumma break for Muslim Legislators on Friday that allowed then to offer 'namaz' (prayers), former Bihar deputy chief minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav called Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma a "chinese version of UP CM Adityanath Yogi'. He also accused him of seeking "cheap popularity" and slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party of making Muslims its "soft target".

"Assam's Chief Minister is doing this for cheap popularity. Who is he? He just wants cheap popularity. BJP has made Muslims a soft target. Sometimes they introduce the Waqf Board Bill, then they bring CAA-NRC..they keep targetting the minorities somehow...they want to spread hatred in the society,” Tejashwi Yadav told reporters in Patna.

Discontinuing a British-era practice that allowed Muslims a two-hour break from 11:30 am to 3:00 pm on Fridays, the Assam Assembly amended Rule 11 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business to effectively remove this special provision.

"By doing away with the 2 hour Jumma break, Assam Assembly has prioritised productivity and shed another vestige of colonial baggage," Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma stated in a post on X.

"This practice was introduced by the Muslim League’s Syed Saadulla in 1937. My gratitude to Hon’ble Speaker Biswajit Daimary and our legislators for this historical decision," he added.

Deliberate Acts To Harass Muslims, Spread Hatred: Tejashwi Yadav

Following this development, Tejashwi Yadav hit out at the Assam CM in a post he shared on X. "They want to bother Muslims in some way or the other and spread hatred in the society. BJP should understand that even Muslims had sacrificed their lives in the freedom struggle," the RJD leader said in a video clip of his interaction with reporters.

Along with the video he also wrote: "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."

He further stated: "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.”

A Muslim MLA from the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) questioned the need to change the decades-long rule, Hindustan Times reported.

"What was the need to change an existing tradition? The present BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party)-led government in Assam under Himanta Biswa Sarma is targeting the Muslim community, keeping the 2026 assembly polls in mind," he said.