“I’ll give you Rs 2 in alms”: Owaisi slams Himanta Biswa Sarma over ‘trouble Miya Muslims’ remark

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on February 6 launched a blistering attack on Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over his controversial remarks on “troubling Miya Muslims,” calling the statements unconstitutional, divisive and dangerous for India’s democratic fabric.

Mocking the chief minister, Owaisi said, “I want to give you Rs 2 in alms,” accusing Sarma of reducing constitutional governance to prejudice and intimidation. He asserted that the Indian Constitution guarantees equality and non-discrimination irrespective of religion or community, and said no chief minister has the authority to selectively target citizens. “The Constitution says all are equal. No discrimination should be done, whether it is a chief minister or anyone else,” Owaisi said.

The AIMIM leader alleged that Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam were being routinely scapegoated for a wide range of issues. “If vegetable prices increase in Assam, Miya Muslims are blamed. If someone wants to vote, they are told to go to Bangladesh,” he said, adding that such rhetoric was aimed at vilifying an entire community for political gains.

Owaisi’s remarks came in response to Sarma’s recent statements advocating action against “Miya Muslims” in Assam. The chief minister had said, “Trouble the Miya Muslims by any means. If they face trouble, they will go from Assam… We are directly against the Miya Muslims. We are not hiding anything.”

The comments have sparked a political storm in the election-bound state, with opposition parties accusing the BJP of resorting to open communal polarisation to consolidate votes. Critics have described the remarks as unprecedented for a constitutional authority and warned that such language could deepen social divisions.

The BJP, however, has consistently maintained that its stance in Assam is focused on tackling illegal immigration and protecting indigenous rights. Bengali-speaking Muslims have frequently been labelled as “illegal infiltrators” in political discourse, an issue that continues to dominate Assam’s electoral and identity politics.