Manipur CM hits back at Tejashwi Yadav’s ‘chinese remark’ to Assam’s Sarma

The conflict between Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav has intensified due to the Assam government’s decision to eliminate the customary two-hour adjournment of assembly sessions for Jumma prayers.

Notably, the practice was introduced by the Muslim League government during colonial rule.

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The former Bihar Deputy CM also attacked CM Himanta on Friday also, and called him “Chinese version of Yogi” in a veiled reference to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

“Assam Chief Minister (Himanta Biswa Sarma) wants cheap popularity and wants to remain in the news…(UP CM) Yogi Adityanath is using bulldozers, and he (Assam CM) is stopping namaz, the country belongs to everyone, there should be peace, but these people are only spreading hatred,” Tejashwi Yadav told ANI.

“The Chief Minister of Assam deliberately keeps doing acts to harass Muslims, in an attempt to gain cheap popularity and become the “Chinese version of Yogi”. The people of BJP have made Muslim brothers a soft target to spread hatred, attract the attention of Modi-Shah and polarize the society,” Yadav stated.

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Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh, a member of the BJP, entered the fray by criticizing Yadav, accusing the RJD leader of calling the Assam Chief Minister “a Chinese” merely due to his northeastern background.

“It appears that the INDI Alliance is made up of a bunch of ignorant racists who have no information about the history and geography of our country. First, it was Sam Pitroda. Now, it’s Tejashwi Yadav who is being racist towards the people of the northeast,” Singh said.

“We are as much Indian as the rest of the country and we don’t need to prove this. However, this racism of the INDI Alliance towards the North East must be stopped once and for all,” he wrote on X.

Singh slammed the INDI alliance and said, “It appears that the INDI Alliance is made up of a bunch of ignorant racists who have no information about the history & geography of our country.”

First, it was Sam Pitroda. Now, it’s Tejashwi Yadav who is being racist towards the people of North east, he noted.

Also Read: Assam Assembly scraps 2-hour Jumma break; CM Himanta Biswa Sarma lauds move: ’Shed another vestige of colonial baggage’

Earlier, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma defended the state assembly’s move to abolish the two-hour break for Jumma prayers, noting that no other state assembly in India observes a similar pause.

“The decision to end the Jumma break in Assam was also supported by the Congress. There is no such break in Bihar or any other state assembly in the country. I am surprised that people outside Assam are opposing it without thinking,” CM Himanta said in a post on X.

Assam Speaker Biswajit Daimary on Friday explained that the decision to end the two-hour break was made because it had become challenging to conduct discussions on Fridays due to time constraints. Previously, the Assembly session on Fridays was adjourned at 11 am to allow Muslim members to attend Namaaz. Under the new rule, the Assembly will now continue its proceedings without any religiously motivated adjournments.

The amended rule stipulates that the Assam Assembly will begin its sessions at 9:30 am every day, including Fridays.

The amendment was introduced to eliminate what was seen as a colonial-era practice that aimed to divide society along religious lines.

(With inputs from agencies)