Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday (August 31, 2024) said the decision to abolish the two-hour adjournment for Jumma prayers in the Assam Legislative Assembly was made unanimously by both Hindu and Muslim MLAs. He also slammed Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav who had lashed out at Mr. Sarma alleging that he had made the decision to gain “cheap publicity”.
Mr. Sarma pointed out that except in Assam, such an adjournment didn’t exist anywhere in India.
“This decision was not taken by me but by Hindu and Muslim MLAs. It was decided that there would be no Jumma [Friday prayer] break and we would spend those hours working. There cannot be any criticism of this decision. When the Speaker made the announcement yesterday [Friday], no Muslim MLAs opposed the decision. We have 25 Muslims MLAs. It is dedication towards work and development of the country,” Mr. Sarma said while speaking to the press in Ranchi along with Champai Soren, the former Jharkhand Chief Minister who joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday.
He also asserted that that decision to end the Jumma break in Assam Assembly was also supported by the Congress. “I am surprised that people outside Assam are opposing the move without giving it much thought,” he said.
“Those who oppose it must think about what they say. Assam is developing in the most secular manner. This provision was a colonial legacy from 1937. This provision doesn’t exist in Jharkhand or Bihar. Tejashwi Yadav criticises me but is there any such practice in Bihar? Even I respect Islam and Hazrat Muhammad had said before preaching to others that they should not eat sweets, you should stop eating them first. When Tejashwi Yadav was Deputy Chief Minister, he should have allowed a four-hour break for Jumma prayers. Those who oppose [our move] must give a four-hour break in their own State Assembly and then I will bring back this provision again,” Mr. Sarma said.
On Friday, while speaking to the press, Mr. Yadav, Leader of the Opposition in Bihar Assembly, had termed the decision “cheap publicity”.
“In an attempt to gain cheap popularity and become the Chinese version of Yogi [Adityanath, Uttar Pradesh CM], Mr. Sarma deliberately takes steps that harass Muslims. The leaders of the BJP have made Muslim brothers a soft target to spread hatred, attract the attention of ‘Modi-Shah’ and polarise the society. People of all religions, except the RSS [Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh], made contributions to the Independence of the country. Our Muslim brothers made sacrifices in getting the country’s freedom and as long as we are here, no one can harm them,” Mr. Yadav said.
Meanwhile, expelled former Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) MLA Lobin Hembrom joined the BJP on Saturday in the presence of Mr. Sarma. He had contested as an Independent against JMM in Rajmahal Lok Sabha seat.
