Himanta Biswa Sarma and Tejashwi Yadav exchanged barbs over scrapping jumma break
New Delhi:
A heated exchange has erupted between Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav over the scrapping of a two-hour assembly session break for jumma prayers in Assam.
Words Fly Over Jumma Break
Mr. Sarma, representing the ruling BJP, stressed that the decision to remove the jumma break was a collective choice made by all the assembly members, including both Hindu and Muslim leaders. Meanwhile, Mr. Yadav accused the BJP of using Muslims as scapegoats to spread hate and create divisions in society.
The clash intensified when Tejashwi Yadav took to social media, making a controversial remark about Mr. Sarma, suggesting he was trying to gain quick fame by becoming a “Chinese version of Yogi,” referencing Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
The Controversial Post
In his post on X (formerly Twitter), Mr. Yadav hinted at Mr. Sarma’s intention to harass Muslims deliberately.
असम के मुख्यमंत्री सस्ती लोकप्रियता हासिल करने एवं “योगी का चाइनीज़ वर्जन” बनने के प्रयास में जानबुझकर मुसलमानों को परेशान करने वाले कृत्य करते रहते है। BJP के लोगों ने नफ़रत फैलाने, मोदी-शाह का ध्यान आकृष्ट करने एवं समाज में धुर्वीकरण करने के लिए मुसलमान भाइयों को सॉफ्ट टारगेट…
pic.twitter.com/tVue9mXoY9— Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi)
August 30, 2024
Sarma Responds
Reacting to Mr. Yadav’s jibe, Mr. Sarma clarified that the decision to eliminate the jumma break was made collectively with no opposition from the Muslim members of the assembly. There are 25 Muslim MLAs out of a total of 126 in Assam’s assembly, and none of them objected to the change.
असम में जुम्मे के ब्रेक को ख़त्म करने के निर्णय को कांग्रेस ने भी समर्थन दिया। बिहार या देश की किसी भी अन्य विधानसभा में ऐसा कोई ब्रेक है ही नहीं। मैं हैरान हूँ कि असम के बाहर के लोग बिना सोचे-समझे इसका विरोध कर रहे हैं।
pic.twitter.com/fuUhhEi1nf— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa)
August 31, 2024
Mr. Sarma also said the recommendation to scrap the break was presented to and accepted by the assembly’s rules committee.
N Biren Singh Joins The Fray
Adding fuel to the fire, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh criticized Mr. Yadav, accusing him of racism. Mr. Singh claimed that by calling Sarma “Chinese,” Mr. Yadav was being discriminatory towards people from India’s northeast.
It appears that the INDI Alliance is made up of a bunch of ignorant racists who have no information about the history & geography of our country.
First, it was Sam Pitroda. Now, it’s Tejashwi Yadav who is being racist towards the people of North east.
It is unfortunate that a…
pic.twitter.com/uc78LpohC2— N. Biren Singh (@NBirenSingh)
August 31, 2024
Accusations of Hypocrisy
Mr. Sarma further accused Tejashwi Yadav of hypocrisy. He pointed out that Bihar, where Yadav served as deputy chief minister, never had a similar practice of a four-hour break for anyone. He implied that Mr. Yadav should implement such practices in his own state before criticizing others.
Mr. Sarma emphasized that the backlash regarding the decision was coming only from outside Assam. Within the state, there was a unified commitment to progress and development among the legislators.
Past Incidents
Racial tensions in India are not new. Back in May 2021, a blogger from Punjab was arrested by the Arunachal Pradesh government for his racial slurs against a Congress MLA. The YouTube blogger, Paras Singh, made derogatory comments about then Congress MLA Ninong Ering, calling him a “non-Indian” and suggesting that Arunachal Pradesh was part of China. This ignited widespread anger among residents of Arunachal and across the nation. Paras Singh was later arrested, expressed remorse, and was granted bail.
This about wraps up today’s political drama. With sharp barbs exchanged and accusations flying high, it remains to be seen how this clash will impact political relationships and public sentiment moving forward.
