Himanta Biswa Sarma , Minister for Education in Assam, is also the go-to person for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in its efforts to expand in the north-eastern states. He speaks to Nistula Hebbar on selective banning of beef, population policy and the Citizenship Bill…
Why does it seem that the BJP is speaking in different ways on the issue of banning of beef and cow slaughter?
One thing is very clear. Whether it is the north-east or the rest of India, a vast majority of people respect the cow and are against the slaughter of cows. The issue of ban on cow slaughter is very important from our party’s point of view and it is also a part of the directive principles of State policy. But when it comes to the north-east, where a large population exists that eats beef, the BJP’s commitment is to maintain the cultural diversity of India. In this country, there may be many policies that may be fit for one place and not be fit for another place. I think the party needs to respect the cultural diversity of the country and that is why the anti-cow slaughter bill or a ban on cow slaughter is not as central as reducing regional disparities in the north-east. When we talk to people they are more concerned about development issues. The BJP’s agenda in these areas, therefore, is development, reducing regional disparities, and I think that is the position our national leadership and the people of India understand.
Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat, however, has asked for an all India law banning cow slaughter.
That is the RSS’ view point. He has asked for that bill and many State governments that feel that this is important have implemented it. As an individual if you ask me, then I too ask why not? What Gandhiji said during the freedom movement or what is there in our directive principles of state policy...Mohan Bhagwatji has said nothing radically different from what is there in the Constitution. The only issue here is of cultural diversity in some parts of the country. Within the north-east too there is diversity on this issue. For example, in Assam there is a strong feeling that there should be a ban on cow slaughter, but in neighbouring states there are people who eat beef. Our country is diverse. So maybe to implement a ban all India may not be immediately possible.
A select committee of Parliament is going through the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016 and your ally in Assam, the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) is opposing it tooth and nail. Your view?
When the BJP-AGP alliance was formed, this is one issue we agreed to differ on. It is important for us to see that if a Hindu family faces religious persecution in South Asia or anywhere, he or she may find a home back here, like a bahu who if made to suffer at her marital home has an option to come back to her father’s home. So equally, every Hindu should feel in their mind that there is a country called India and that if nothing works out, I can go and settle there. My party feels that India has a responsibility to give shelter to persecuted Hindus.
But when it comes to the AGP, they also feel that Hindus should be given shelter and citizenship. But Assam has already taken more than its fair share and no further settlement should take place in Assam. For our party, the settlement should be in the country, not necessarily in Assam. There is always a via media where those who are already settled are not displaced but those who will come subsequently can let them go somewhere in another part of the country. Assam has, by conventional estimate, already taken in over a crore migrants, both Hindu and Muslim, out of our three crore population. Those who are already here, let them settle, and further addition can, through an assurance by Government of India, settle somewhere else.
You have recently floated a controversial draft population policy. I believe All India United Democratic Front leader (AIUDF) Badruddin Ajmal met you and Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on the matter?
Mr. Ajmal met the Chief Minister (Sarbananda Sonowal) and spoke about the draft population policy. I don’t believe his views represent the wishes of the Assamese people. He is just a communal leader. The issue, however, is that the population policy is based on incentives and disincentives. The incentives are to encourage free education for girls up to University level, make education accessible to girls, girls should also not pay hostel mess fees and 50% reservation in government jobs for women. So placed against these 100 incentives are three disincentives — that you will not be eligible for government employment if you have more than two children, cannot contest local body polls and if found to have married under the statutory age will also be disqualified from government service.
We feel government employees are role models. Recently a very interesting thing happened with me. A while ago, a picture of mine with my wife and my two children and a third child, of a family friend, appeared in social media, and the comments were about how I could speak of having fewer children when I seemed to have three. So you cannot advocate policies that you are not following yourself. We are also sending a recommendation that this disbarment from contesting polls be adopted nationally, extended to MLAs and MPs (at least for Assam legislators). Against these three disincentives there are so many incentives, and Mr. Ajmal is focussed on the former, despite a demand from his own party in the Assembly for a population policy. There is a public consultation on this till July and there will be many disclaimers that will humanise the policy, like if you have a set of twins after your first child, you will not come under the ambit of this policy etc.
There is also talk that you might be considering following the examples of Rajasthan and Haryana in imposing a minimum set of qualifications for contesting panchayat polls.
This is in the works and we have asked for public consultation. But for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, we will give some relaxation as the State has not been able to provide educational facilities in the same way to these areas as others. We will have to be careful about that.
