'Women Not A Factory Of Childbirth': Assam CM Himanta Sarma Hits Back At Badruddin Ajmal

Ajmal, who is regarded as a Maulana, had reportedly advised Hindus to marry young in order to have more children like Muslims.

New Delhi: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma launched an attack on AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal on Monday, three days after Badruddin Ajmal's controversial remarks about women and the Hindu community and his assertion that a mother's womb cannot be viewed as a "farm land," reported news agency PTI.

He advised Muslim women not to be "swayed" by statements made by "people like Ajmal" urging them to have more children and to limit their families to two in order to give their children a good education.

Sarma stated that people, particularly Muslim women, should not be "swayed by people who need them for their votes" when responding to Ajmal's remarks at a public meeting in Bongaigaon, near Dhubri, which Ajmal represents in the Lok Sabha.

“I don’t need your votes, but don’t listen to Ajmal. Don’t have more than two children so that you can bring them up to be top players, doctors and engineers,” he said, referring to Muslim women.

In an interview with a media outlet on Friday, the head of the AIUDF made remarks about Sarma, women, and Hindu men, allegedly in response to the chief minister's remarks about "love jihad."

Ajmal, who is regarded as a Maulana, had reportedly advised Hindus to marry young in order to have more children like Muslims.

The following day, the MP apologized and stated that he was "ashamed" of the controversy it stoked as the comments were criticised and complaints were filed with the police across the state. He maintained, however, that his remarks were distorted and that he had not targeted any community.

"People like Ajmal thought that education, development will not reach lower Assam" areas like Bongaigaon and Dhubri and were trying to convince women of these places that they were "child bearing factories".

“Ajmal said that ‘seeds should be sown on fertile land’. I ask him are the wombs of our mothers farmlands?” Sarma, a prominent BJP leader of the North East, quipped.

“We shouldn’t listen to them (Ajmal and his ilk) and should concentrate on the wellbeing of our children,” he added. Continuing his attack on the AIUDF chief, the chief minister said "Ajmal has no right to tell our women how many children they should have. If he does so, he (Ajmal) will have to take the responsibility of the children". “If he is willing to pay for their upbringing, I will ask everyone to have 10-12 children,” Sarma added in a sarcastic tone.

He talked about the challenges that poor Bengali-speaking Muslims in the "char" (riverine) areas face when raising their children, particularly when it comes to providing them with education and preventing malnutrition.

“After seeing their (stricken) faces, one cannot go home and sleep in peace … I request our Muslim community women to have only so many children whom they can educate to become doctors or engineers and not junabs or imams (Muslim religious leaders),” Sarma said. 

The chief minister responded to Ajmal's remark that Hindus have fewer children because they start families much later than Muslims do, arguing that this ensures that Hindu children receive a high-quality education. Sarma also urged people to avoid communal politics and engage in development politics for the state's growth and development.

(With PTI Inputs)