GUWAHATI, Jan 29: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday, January 29, defended his recent comments referring to “Miya Muslims,” asserting that the term was not coined by him but is self-applied by people who migrated from Bangladesh.
Addressing the controversy, Sarma accused the Opposition of deliberately misrepresenting his statement for political purposes. “Those who have come from Bangladesh call themselves ‘Miya’. I did not give them that name; it is they who call themselves that,” he said, clarifying that his remarks were based on social usage rather than any political or communal labelling.
The Chief Minister stressed that the debate had been unnecessarily politicised and reiterated that his primary concern was safeguarding Assam’s demographic balance and addressing issues related to illegal migration. He further accused Opposition parties of attempting to divert attention from substantive governance matters by framing his comments as divisive.
While Opposition leaders criticised the statement as communal and targeting a specific community, the BJP defended Sarma, asserting that his remarks were factual and had been taken out of context. The controversy has intensified political debates in the state ahead of upcoming elections.
