GUWAHATI: The Congress-led United Opposition Forum has submitted a memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu, asking her to sack Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for fanning communal hatred in the State through “provocative” statements.
A delegation of the forum comprising leaders of 18 political parties submitted the memorandum through Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya on Thursday.
The forum said the Chief Minister has been targeting the Muslims by associating them with any incident, the latest of which was the alleged gang-rape of a 14-year-old girl by three men, one of whom died in police custody.
The incendiary statements have led to communal tension in the State, particularly in the eastern part where a frenzy has been whipped up against a section of Muslims pejoratively referred to as Miyas (of Bengal origin), the forum said. This followed a targeted hate campaign against the Marwari community over the alleged assault of a 17-year-old girl in eastern Assam’s Sivasagar.
It said the Chief Minister “compromised his oath and affirmation in the name of the Constitution of India” and violated the constitutional provisions by making “provocative” statements to create “hatred and enmity among different communities”.
The forum also accused the Chief Minister of indulging in rampant corruption apart from failing to establish the rule of the law in Assam. His “hate speeches” merit his sacking, it added.
AIUDF memorandum
On Thursday, the minority-based All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) led by former MP, Maulana Badruddin Ajmal, submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister seeking security for Muslims in the State. It cited hate campaigns in eastern Assam forcing many Muslims to flee after a gang rape case made people vent their anger on communal lines.
“A rapist is a rapist whether he is a Hindu or a Muslim. We should not let such an abominable incident polarise the society and ensure the culprits are punished,” the party said in a statement.
