Peoples Democratic Party President Mehbooba Mufti has urged the Indian judiciary to take a suo motu notice of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s remarks on Muslims in which Sarma blamed Muslims for price rise in the BJP-led state.
Mehbooba Mufti wrote on twitter that while the judiciary took action against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for raising questions on corruption, it should also take suo motu notice of Sarma’s remarks.
“Assam Chief Minister blaming Muslims for crippling price rise shows BJP’s utter failure on unemployment, inflation and lack of development. Himanta Biswa is openly urging Hindus to forcibly take away even their meagre forms of livelihood — vegetable vendors and kirhana shops. While the judiciary took quick action against Rahul Gandhi for raising legitimate questions on corruption, what stops them from taking suo moto notice of the Assam CM’s fire stoking statements…,” Mufti asked.
Responding to reporters’ questions on the high price of vegetables in Guwahati, Sarma recently said, “Vegetables are not priced so high in villages. Here, the Miya [term used for Bengali-speaking Muslims] vendors charge us more. Had it been Assamese vendors selling vegetables, they would not have fleeced their own people.”
“I will clear all the footpaths of Guwahati and I urge our Assamese people to come forward and start their businesses,” he had added.
Miya is originally a pejorative term used for Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam. In recent years, activists from the community have started adopting this term in a gesture of defiance.—KMS
