BJP Does Not Need 'Miya' Vote For 10 Years: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said that BJP does not need the votes of the 'Miya' community for at least 10 years.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said that the Bhartiya Janta Party does not need the votes of 'Miya' people of 'Char' (riverine sandbar) areas for the next 10 years, adding that Muslims have to reform themselves by stopping practices such as child marriage. He said that the 'Miya' people who support him, Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as the BJP can continue to do so and raise slogans in favour of the saffron party without voting for them. While talking to the media, Sarma said, "BJP will do public welfare and they (Bengali-speaking Muslims) will support us, but they don't need to vote for us. There is no harm in supporting us. Let them shout 'zindabad' for Himanta Biswa Sarma, Narendra Modi and BJP."

The term 'Miya' is used as a slang word to refer to the community of Bengali-speaking Muslims.

News agency PTI quoted the Assam Chief Minister as saying, "When elections come, I myself will request them not to vote for us. When you will follow family planning, stop child marriage and shed fundamentalism, then you vote for us. To complete these, it will take 10 years. We will seek votes after 10 years, not now."

Sarma laid out a few conditions for the community if they wished to vote for the BJP. He said that those who vote for BJP shouldn't have more than two or three children, they must send their daughters to schools, they can't indulge in child marriage and they must adopt Sufism and leave fundamentalism. He told the journalists that when these conditions will be fulfilled then only he would go to the 'Char' to seek votes, PTI reported. 

When the reporters present there raised the point of the 'Char' area not having proper schools, Sarma responded by saying that schools would be set up immediately if he is informed about the non-existence of it in such an area. He said, "It can't happen that minority students won't get a chance to study. We will open seven colleges in minority areas in the coming days."