Reservation storm in Assam as Congress seeks 48 miya muslim seats, BJP issues stern warning

A major political controversy has erupted in Assam after the Congress was accused by the ruling BJP of pushing a demand to reserve 48 out of the state’s 126 Assembly constituencies for Miya Muslims, a move the BJP has termed a “grave conspiracy” against indigenous communities and a dangerous promotion of Islamist fundamentalist politics.

Reacting strongly to the demand, Assam Pradesh BJP spokesperson Kamal Kumar Medhi launched a scathing attack on the Congress, alleging that the party has abandoned its nationalist legacy and has become the ideological successor to the Muslim League. 

He claimed that while historical Congress leaders such as Gopinath Bordoloi had fiercely opposed attempts to merge Assam with Pakistan, the present-day Congress was now echoing the same political designs under a different guise.

Medhi said the controversy was triggered by a statement made by Mohsin Khan, a Congress spokesperson and National Secretary of the party’s student wing, the NSUI, who reportedly demanded that 48 Assembly constituencies be reserved exclusively for minority Miya Muslims. He described the statement as irresponsible and deeply alarming, alleging that it reflected an attempt to establish political dominance of Islamist fundamentalist forces within Assam at a time when, he claimed, such forces in neighbouring Bangladesh were harbouring hostile designs against the state and the wider North-East.

The BJP spokesperson further alleged that the Assam Congress, under the leadership of state party president Gaurav Gogoi, had revived what he described as a long-standing conspiracy to weaken indigenous Assamese society. He claimed that close associates of Gogoi within the Congress had endorsed the demand and that the party had offered it ideological backing. Medhi pointed out that neither the Assam Pradesh Congress nor the national leadership of the NSUI had condemned or distanced themselves from Mohsin Khan’s statement, terming their silence as tacit approval.

Recalling earlier instances, Medhi said that several Congress leaders, including Rakibul Hussain, had in the past spoken in favour of reserving Assembly seats for Miya Muslims. He also referred to previous demands by Miya Muslim leaders for the creation of ‘Miyaland’, a separate Miya Autonomous Council, and a Miya Museum at Kalakshetra, claiming these reflected a sustained political agenda.

Issuing a stern warning, the Assam BJP said such demands would be resisted resolutely. Medhi asserted that the Assamese people, whom he described as a nation that had defeated the Mughals multiple times in history, would remain united and continue to oppose any attempt to undermine Assam’s indigenous identity and social fabric.

The Congress has not yet issued an official response to the BJP’s allegations, even as the issue threatens to further polarise Assam’s political landscape ahead of future electoral battles.