Guwahati, Mar 8: Politics around the “Miya” Muslim community in Assam has taken a new turn after Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma set out ten conditions for the community ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.
The development comes amid growing controversy over the Chief Minister’s remarks about the “Miya” community. Recently, the Gauhati High Court issued a notice to Sarma in connection with a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) accusing him of making alleged “hate speeches” against the community.
“I have no personal enmity with the Miya community as long as they are ready to chant ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ and recite ‘Vande Mataram’ completely,” the Chief Minister said.
He added that people should be able to sing the national song from the first line to the last, asserting that such gestures would reflect their commitment to the country.
Sarma also listed several other conditions, stating that the community must stop practices he described as “love jihad”, “land jihad” and “fertiliser jihad”. He further said that child marriage and polygamy must end if better relations are to be built.
The Chief Minister’s remarks about the “Miya” community have triggered controversy in recent months.
On January 31, Sarma said the term “Miya” referred to Bangladeshi infiltrators and vowed to drive them out of Assam. “Miya means Bangladeshi infiltrators, and we have decided to go as far as it takes to send every one of them back from Assam,” he had said while addressing a public gathering.
In a post on social media platform X the same day, Sarma wrote that he would not stop the campaign against infiltrators even if “a thousand Rahul Gandhis shout”.
The Chief Minister has repeatedly used the term “Miya” while referring to Bengali-speaking Muslims in the state, arguing that infiltration from Bangladesh poses an existential challenge for Assam.
With the 2026 Assembly elections approaching, political polarisation in the state appears to be intensifying. The BJP has accused the Congress of supporting infiltrators for “vote-bank politics”.
The BJP government’s “pushback” policy against alleged illegal immigrants has gained support among sections of the public, with many backing the government’s actions.
However, opposition parties have criticised the policy, alleging that genuine Indian citizens are being harassed in the name of the crackdown.
The Congress has raised the issue repeatedly, though the ruling party maintains that its measures are aimed at protecting Assam’s demographic and political interests.
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