Complaint against Himanta Sarma for 'inflammatory' remarks, his response

The INDIA bloc complaint accused Himanta Sarma of making inflammatory and divisive speeches targeting Muslim minorities and promoting communal tension ahead of upcoming assembly elections in Jharkhand.

In Short

• INDIA bloc accuses Himanta Sarma of targeting Muslim minorities
• Files complaint with poll body, seeks action against Assam Chief Minister
• Sarma defends his remarks, asks why complaint when speak against infiltrators

The INDIA bloc leaders on Saturday filed a complaint against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma with the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Jharkhand, accusing the BJP leader of making “inflammatory and divisive” speeches during a recent election rally in the state.

During his speech on November 1 in Sarath, the BJP leader stated, “Those people will vote in one place, but our Hindus will vote half here and half there.” He also remarked, “This government invites infiltrators because a special community will vote for them”.

Referring to these remarks, the INDIA bloc, in a letter to the CEO, said, “His use of extremely divisive and hateful language targeting Muslim minorities” exemplifies the “venomous language used to create a civil war-like situation and incite violence in the upcoming assembly elections.”

The complaint also highlighted other controversial statements allegedly made by Sarma on different occasions.

“He is deliberately painting all members of a particular religious minority as infiltrators to exploit and deepen existing social divisions for political gain, create communal tension, and disrupt the social fabric of Jharkhand for electoral benefits,” the letter read.

The INDIA bloc also submitted recordings of Sarma allegedly claiming that the Hemant Soren government in Jharkhand was supporting Bangladeshi infiltrators.

“This dangerous tactic not only undermines the democratic process but also violates the fundamental structure of our Constitution and contradicts various judicial pronouncements and judgments passed by the Supreme Court against hate speech,” the INDIA bloc leaders said.

However, Sarma responded by questioning why the INDIA bloc was filing complaints against him for speaking about infiltrators.

“Why complain against me? What am I saying? Why are they hurt when I speak against infiltrators? Where is it written, in which law, that it is wrong to speak against infiltrators?” the Assam Chief Minister asked.

He further stated, “Talking about Hindus does not mean targeting Muslims. I don’t even mention the word ‘Muslim.’ India is a Hindu civilisation, and speaking about protecting them is a positive thing...”

Meanwhile, BSP leader Kushwaha Shivpujan Mehta, who is contesting from the Hussainabad seat, filed a separate complaint in court against Sarma for allegedly disturbing communal harmony.

During an election rally in Hussainabad, Sarma had said that the sub-division in Palamu district would be made a district if the BJP came to power after the assembly elections, and it would be named after Lord Ram or Krishna.

The Assembly election in Jharkhand is scheduled to be held in two phases on November 13 and November 20 to elect 81 MLAs.