Nagaon (Assam):Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's remark that the BJP does not need 'Miya' votes for the next ten years if certain social practices such as child marriage aren't forsaken has not gone down well among a section of the community which termed it as a "refusal to their very existence".
Though Sarma has softened his stand during the ongoing general elections and visited a number of Bengali-speaking Muslim areas seeking votes for BJP, community members are not in a mood to forget and forgive. "You (Sarma) said Miya votes were not needed. Now, when you see that without our votes, you cannot win in many seats, you are coming to us. You need us only at the time of election. Why should we support you when you don't want us at all?," questioned Ruhul Amin from Dhing in Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency.
'Miya' is originally a pejorative term used for Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam and the non-Bengali speaking people generally identify them as Bangladeshi immigrants. In recent years, activists from the community have started adopting this term as a gesture of defiance.
Amin, a 56-year-old school teacher-turned-tailor from the Miya community, said people are also recollecting a number of derogatory statements made by Sarma and many of his ministerial colleagues since 2021 when the second BJP government took charge in the state.
"They said Miya women were child-giving machines. This offended us all, especially the women from our community. The CM may be claiming that all Miya women and youths will vote for him this time, but he will be proved wrong," he added. In February this year, Sarma had said he would not seek 'Miya' votes for the next two years as a lot of welfare works like drives against child marriages and encroachments need to be completed before that.
However, during an election campaign meeting last month, Sarma diluted his stand and exuded confidence that girls, women and youths from the 'Miya' community would vote for the BJP due to the good work done to uplift them. Out of a total electorate of around 18.2 lakh, there are over 10.5 lakh Muslim voters in Nagaon constituency after delimitation. Voting in Nagaon will take place in the second phase on April 26.
Incumbent Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi is seeking a second term in Lok Sabha and his direct fight will be against his erstwhile confidante Suresh Bora, who was in Congress and joined the BJP around three months ago. Though Amin appreciated the government's drives against child marriage, push for girl education and a near-clean recruitment process, he termed these acts as a normal duty of any state.
"Generally it is considered that Miya people are backward and not aware of the situation in the country, but it is wrong. People are worried that if the BJP comes to power, our Constitution will be changed to create a Myanmar-like situation and all freedom enjoyed by minorities like Muslims and Christians will be curtailed," he added.
Mousumi Begum, a sixth semester BA student from the Miya community in Beltoli area adjacent to Nagaon town, said most of the youths from the community will not vote for the ruling party candidate. "We do not trust them and their assurances. They have been attacking Muslims since they formed the government. The youths don't support demolition of madrassas and mosques in the name of eviction," she added.
The student of philosophy at Nagaon College also disagreed with the government narrative that madrassas teach only religion and said all modern subjects are taught as per state board along with theology. "The Citizenship (Amendment) Act is also an issue among the youths. Besides, Muslim girls do not support abolishing the triple talaq system, under which it was easier for a girl also to leave a husband if she did not wish to stay with him. But now it will be difficult," Begum said.
Rupahi's Ikramul Hussain observed that "an artificial wave" is being created by the Chief Minister that all minorities, especially Miyas, are going to vote in large numbers in the Lok Sabha polls. "The Miya people are very silent. They are attending all BJP meetings in large numbers and dancing with the CM. But they will never vote for BJP. Though some good works have been done for the community, some exceptionally derogatory statements by Sarma and his ministers have offended us a lot," he said.
Hussain, who is a farmer and an insurance agent and also owns a pharmacy, said people from the minority community are not openly expressing their opinion in "fear of vengeance" after the poll results as the state government is still under the BJP.
"People do understand that all the promises of financial support are only election gimmicks. Besides, flood and erosion are big problems in Nagaon-Morigaon belt and nothing significant has been done to control it over the years," he added. On the other hand, farmer Abdul Gafar of Laogaon village said around 25-30 per cent of Muslims may vote for the BJP but it will be even less from the Miya community.
"Though people support abolishing child marriage and emphasis on education, they will not forget the evictions in Gorukhuti and Char areas while going to vote. These incidents have affected BJP's poll prospects in Miya areas," he added. Around 1,200-1,400 houses, mostly belonging to Bengali-speaking Muslims, were razed in September 2021 in Dhalpur *of Gorukhuti*, leaving over 7,000 people homeless.
Village markets, mosques, kabarstans, madrassas and maktubs were also bulldozed. The eviction drive also left two dead in police firing, including a 12-year-old boy who had got his first identity proof, an Aadhaar card, just before he was shot dead.
