“We gave countries to Muslims, we are just giving citizenship to Hindus” Himanta Biswa Sarma

Bob Dylan wrote “Times they are a changin” and it has changed a lot in the context of Assam. Till five years back hardly any spokesperson from Assam managed to find a seat in a panel discussion held in the national capital. Especially if the panel discussion was organised by a media conglomerates as that did not drive viewership. One of the biggest conventions organised by a media organisation “India Today Conclave” has kicked off yesterday in New Delhi and a speaker from Assam got the lionshare of time to voice his opinion. 

In a panel discussion on the Citizenship Amendment Bill 2016, Himanta Biswa Sarma minister – Finance, Health & Family Welfare, PWD, Transformation & Development, Government of Assam was very much slated against three others who oppose the bill. Two of them his fellow panelists, Conrad Sangma, Chief Minister of Meghalaya and Asaduddin Owaisi, president of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen and member of parliament and the third one being the moderator himself, Rajdeep Sardesai who looked more busy arguing against the bill than just asking questions.

Rajdeep Sardesai started the discussion by introducing Himanta Biswa Sarma as BJP’s face in the Northeast and an architect of the citizenship amendment bill (2016). Sardesai opined that Sarma, by being the architect of the CAB is actually playing with fire and widening Hindu-Muslim gap. The moderator also added that Sarma’s allies in the Northeast is upset with the BJP for supporting the bill, “In politics you don’t take decisions only to please someone you also have to take hard decisions. In the context of Assam I fully support the Citizenship Amendment Bill. This was a historic made to the religious minorities of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. I did not make this commitment but it was made at the time of independence,” Sarma said in his opening remarks.

Is a bill which discriminates Hindus and Muslims on grounds of citizenship, which says Illegal Muslim Immigrants have to leave the country but an illegal Bengali, Hindu immigrant can stay on in the country, is that not unconstitutional, Rajdeep Sardesai counter questions, Sarma. “We are just giving citizenship to Hindu but we have given country to Muslims. We have given Pakistan to the Muslim – an entire country – at that point of time (during Independence). If a Muslim can prove that I am being persecuted in an Islamic state for following Quran that is a different ball game. I don’t think any Muslim will say that I am being persecuted in Pakistan or Bangladesh because I believe in Quran. But a Hindu is persecuted because he or she believes in Gita, Bible… So, India has a historic duty to give shelter to the religious minorities,” Sarma replied.

Rajdeep Sardesai, countered again and this time a more personal attack. He asked Sarma, how can he being a senior minister of a Government say in public rallies that he needs the support of illegal Bengali, Hindu immigrants to keep the Muslims away from political powers. “I mean what I said, and I said Bangladeshi originated Muslims and I never say Muslim we are fighting on ethnic lines. In my recent budget, we have given so many protection to indigenous Muslims communities of Assam. We believe that the Bangladeshi Muslims are hijacking the political powers in Assam and we are against that,” said Sarma.

Throughout the 26 minute panel discussion Sarma was asked several question on how can he support CAB which is “unconstitutional” according to Owaisi and others in the panel. Owaisi took a jibe at the finance minister of Assam and asked why did he gave a statement to Indian Express that about 8 lakh Hindu Bengali did not find a space in the NRC and his government will do everything to protect them. Sarma replied, “I would never agree to anything which says send Hindus to Pakistan or anywhere outside India.”