Following a large dispute triggered by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s remarks prior to the Jharkhand Assembly elections, opposition leaders in India have filed a complaint with the state chief electoral officer, requesting action against the BJP politician. The INDIA bloc accused Mr. Sarma of targeting Muslims during a rally in Sarath, Jharkhand, in a letter to the electoral commission.
“His use of extremely divisive and hateful words in the speech targeting the Muslim minorities by saying words like ‘Woh log ek hi jageh par vote daalte hain lekin humaara Hindu aadha vote idhar daalega aadha udhar (They will vote for the same person, but Hindus will not vote together)’ and ‘ye sarkar ghuspaithiya ko bulaata hai kyuki vishesh samudaay unko vote deta hai (This government calls infiltrators because a particular community votes for it)’ are clear examples of the venomous language being used by him to create a civil war-like situation and incite violence in the ensuing assembly elections,” the letter said.
“This hate speech given by Mr Sarma is an example of the divisive politics being promoted by him and his party, the Bharatiya Janata Party” the letter said, accusing the BJP leader of trying to “polarise the electorate”.
“He has knowingly coloured all the people of a particular religious minority in one shade and portrayed all of them to be infiltrators to exploit existing social divisions and exacerbate them for political gain create communal tension and break the social fabric of the state of Jharkhand for electoral gains,” the INDIA bloc has said.
The Opposition leaders said they fear “extremist ideologies and hate crimes can happen as a direct result of the toxic environment created by such rhetoric of Himanta Biswa Sarma”.
The chief minister of Assam, who has been to several rallies in Jharkhand, has denied the accusations, stating that discussing Hindus does not imply disparaging Muslims.
“Why complain against me? What am I saying? Why are they hurt when I am speaking against the infiltrators? Where is it written that it is wrong to speak against infiltrators? Should we open our doors to infiltrators? Talking about Hindus doesn’t mean targeting Muslims. I don’t even utter the word – Muslim. India is a Hindu civilisation and to talk about protecting them is a positive thing. Some Muslim leader may speak about protecting Muslims. We have no objection,” he told the media.
On the row over his remark that Hussainabad subdivision in Palamu district will become a district named after Ram or Krishna if the BJP comes to power, Mr Sarma said, “Is it a crime to talk about changing the name of a place? Then the Jharkhand movement was illegal too.”
On November 13 and 20, votes will be cast in 81 Jharkhand seats. The Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Congress, and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha are working hard to regain power. On the other side is the BJP, All Jharkhand Students’ Union, JDU and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas).
