Nagaon: A section of the ‘Mian’ community has not forgotten Assam Chief Minister Himanta Vishwa Sharma’s statement that BJP does not need the votes of ‘Mian’ people for the next 10 years unless they end certain social practices like child marriage. Don’t leave and improve yourself. The community has described this statement of the Chief Minister as ‘tantamount to denying his existence’. At the same time, Sharma has softened his stance during the campaign for the general elections and is visiting the homes of a large number of Bengali-speaking Muslims asking for votes for BJP, but the community members are not ready to forget his statement and forgive him.
‘Why should we support you when you don’t want us?’
Ruhul Amin, resident of Dhing in Nagaon Lok Sabha constituency, asked, ‘You (Sharma) said that Mian votes are not needed. Now when you see that without our votes you cannot win many seats, then you are coming to us. You need us only at the time of elections. Why should we support you when you don’t want us?’ Let us tell you that the word ‘Mian’ is a term used for Bengali speaking Muslims in Assam and non-Bengali speaking people generally see them as Bangladeshi immigrants.
‘Sharma had said that Mian women are machines for producing children’
Amin, 56, belonging to the Miyan community, said that people were remembering the many derogatory statements made by Sharma and several ministers of his government since 2021 when the BJP government was formed in the state for the second time. Amin said, ‘He had said that Mian women are machines for producing children. All of us, especially the women of our community, were hurt by this. The Chief Minister may claim that this time all Mian women and youth will vote for him, but he will be proved wrong.
There are more than 10.5 lakh Muslim voters in Nagaon Lok Sabha seat.
Sharma had said in February this year that he would not seek ‘Mian’ votes for the next two years because before that he had to do many welfare works like campaigning against child marriage and encroachment. However, Sharma softened his stance at an election rally last month, expressing confidence that girls, women and youth of the ‘Mian’ community will vote for the BJP because of the good work done for their upliftment. After delimitation in Nagaon parliamentary constituency, there are more than 10.5 lakh Muslim voters out of total 18.2 lakh voters. Voting in Nagaon will be held on April 26.
‘If BJP comes to power, a situation like Myanmar will be created’
Pradyut Bordoloi, the outgoing Congress MP from Nagwan Lok Sabha seat, is trying to reach Parliament for the second time and his direct fight is with his former colleague Suresh Bora, who was earlier in Congress and joined BJP about 3 months ago. Amin said, ‘It is generally believed that Mian people are backward and do not know about the situation in the country. But this is wrong. People are worried that if BJP comes to power, our Constitution will be changed to create a situation like Myanmar and the freedoms enjoyed by all minorities like Muslims and Christians will be curtailed.
In some seats of Assam, votes of Mian community play a decisive role.
‘Most youth will not vote for the ruling party candidate’
Moushumi Begum, a BA sixth semester student from the Miyan community in Beltoli area adjacent to Nagaon city, said most of the youth of the community will not vote for the ruling party candidate. He said, ‘We do not trust him and his assurances. They have been attacking Muslims since the formation of the government. The youth do not support the demolition of madrassas and mosques in the name of eviction. (Language)
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