Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma addressing the media.
Gauhati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma triggered outrage once again after he went on an unhinged tirade, suggesting that people torment “miyas” – a derogatory term used for Bangali-speaking Muslims – by underpaying them, and if it leads to any tussle, the police will protect them.
Speaking to reporters at an official event in Assam’s Tinsukia district on Tuesday, January 27, he asserted that “Himanta Biswa Sarma and the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) are directly against miyas.”
It was his responsibility to make the “miya community” suffer, he said, openly calling for the harassment of Bangali-speaking Muslims.
“If the Congress finds a problem with this, there is nothing we can do about it. The police may register cases, but the fact remains — we were deliberately troubling the miya Muslims.” He proceeded to advise everyone to trouble the “miyas” and cause them hardship.
“In a rickshaw, if the fare is Rs 5, give them Rs 4. Only if they face troubles will they leave Assam… These are not issues. Himanta Biswa Sarma and the BJP are directly against Miyas. What is the point of telling us that these are issues? We are saying it openly. We are not hiding it. Earlier, people were scared, now I myself am encouraging people to keep giving troubles. You all should also trouble, and you should not sympathise with them. There will be love jihad in your own house.” Sarma told reporters.
On a rampage, he said that around four to five lakh “miya” voters would be deleted from the electoral rolls during Assam’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR). “This (SIR) is preliminary. When the SIR comes to Assam, four to five lakh miya votes will have to be deleted in Assam,” he said
“Whichever complaints have happened have been on my orders. I myself have told the BJP people that they should keep making complaints against miyas. There is nothing to hide about this. I have held meetings, I have done video conferences and I have told people that, wherever possible, they should fill Form 7. So that they have to run around a little, are troubled, so that they understand that the Assamese people are still living. If the Congress has objections, so be it,” he said.
Form 7 is used for objections to the inclusion or deletion of a name in the electoral roll.
“Vote chori means we are trying to steal some miya votes. They should ideally not be allowed to vote in Assam, but in Bangladesh,” the Assam CM said. “We are ensuring that they cannot vote in Assam,” he responded to questions about notices issued to Bengali-speaking Muslims during the claims and objections phase of the ongoing special revision of electoral rolls.
His comments caused an uproar, with Opposition leaders such as Rajjor Dal president and MLA Akhil Gogoi saying that the Assamese people did not elect Sarma to keep the “miya” community under pressure.
Manu Jain, Indian Youth Congress national secretary, said, “This statement is not only absurd, but a direct assault on Baba Saheb’s Constitution and our Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb, which has granted equality to every Indian.”
“Narendra Modi and BJP should apologise to the entire country for this shameful act of Himanta Biswa Sarma,” he added.
The BJP, however, came out in defence of the Assam Chief Minister, asserting that his remarks were aimed only at illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.
Speaking to IANS , BJP spokesperson Pratul Sahdeo said, “Himanta Biswa Sarma’s stand has always been that the SIR should be implemented strictly against the miyas, and by miyas he means illegal Muslim immigrants coming from Bangladesh.”
This post was last modified on January 29, 2026 3:46 pm