NEW DELHI: The opposition INDIA bloc has accused Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of making “inflammatory and divisive speeches” during an election rally in Jharkhand and have asked the Chief Electoral Officer to take immediate action against Sarma.
The complaint pertains to remarks made by Sarma on November 1 in Sarath, Jharkhand, which the opposition claims targeted Muslim minorities. In a letter to the electoral authority, the INDIA leaders provided a video of Sarma’s speech, highlighting his use of charged language that they argue incites communal tension.
Sarma’s comments included statements suggesting coordinated voting among Muslims and accusations that certain communities support government infiltration.
“This hate speech given by Mr Sarma is an example of the divisive politics being promoted by him and his party, the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP). In the said speech, he has also used words like “agle dus saal me Jharkhand mein rajneeti nahi kar sakenge – vishesh samudaay pe aashrit reh jayenge” and “Hindu ko aur adivsasi samaaj ko nirnaya lena hai ki ghuspaithiyo ko laat marker bhagaana hai” clearly establish that by stoking the flames of hatred and resentment, Sarma seeks to polarize the electorate and consolidate power for his agenda,” the letter by INDIA bloc leaders said.
“He has knowingly coloured all the people of a particular religious minority in one shade and portrayed all of them to be infiltrators to exploit existing social divisions and exacerbate them for political gain by creating communal tension and breaking the social fabric of the state of Jharkhand for electoral gains,” it added.
The opposition leaders alleged that Sarma’s language unfairly categorizes all members of a particular religious minority as infiltrators, thereby exploiting social divisions for electoral gain. They referenced additional quotes from Sarma, suggesting that he implied specific communities would hinder political progress in Jharkhand.
The letter also included a video of an interview in which Sarma allegedly used similar divisive language, claiming that the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) government only serves the interests of infiltrators.
The INDIA bloc contended that such statements foster a climate of fear among minorities and contribute to growing intolerance and violence in the state.
“His use of venomous words like “Jharkhand alag Rajya Isliye nahi banaya tha ki ghuspaithiyo ke haath mein chala jaaye” in the election speech makes it obvious that through his inflammatory speeches, laden with prejudice and discrimination and replete with divisive language, Sarma is trying to ignite social unrest and jeopardize the election process,” the letter said.
The opposition expressed apprehension that Sarma’s inflammatory comments could lead to increased hate crimes and extremist ideologies, accusing the BJP of diverting attention from pressing issues like inflation and unemployment.
“We demand that immediate strictest action be taken against him by the Election Commission without any delay to show that the Commission does not stand by such actions of any person which can result in disturbing the process of free and fair elections. If no action is taken by the Commission in the next 24 hours, we will be constrained to move to appropriate legal forums for legal remedy in which the Commission will then have to explain its failure to constrain this highly deplorable action of Himanta Biswa Sarma,” the letter said.
Responding to the allegations, CM Sarma dismissed the claims, arguing that discussing Hindu rights does not equate to targeting Muslims. “Why complain against me? I’m speaking against infiltrators. Talking about Hindus doesn’t mean targeting Muslims. India is a Hindu civilization, and to talk about protecting them is a positive thing,” he said.
Assembly elections in Jharkhand are set to be held in two phases on November 13 and 20, with votes counting scheduled for November 23.