Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Credit: PTI File Photo
Guwahati: A journalist with a news portal in Assam became the target of CM Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday as he tried to dodge a question regarding hill cutting in his constituency by asking about the reporter's Muslim identity.
"What is your name?" Sarma asked the reporter as the latter sought the chief minister's reaction to media reports about cutting of hills in Mandakata area in his constituency. Shah Alam, as the reporter replied, Sarma said, "You people Shah Alam and Mahbubul Hoque of USTM university, the way you all have connected things, I want to ask, will you (Muslims) allow us (Hindus) to survive".
Sarma was responding to questions on Wednesday regarding USTM, a private university in neighbouring Meghalaya owned by Hoque, whom he recently accused of aggravating flash floods in Guwahati by cutting hills along Guwahati-Meghalaya border.
Sarma said the university was carrying out "flood jihad," a jibe that attracted strong reactions from the Opposition parties.
The reporter works with the web portal, NewsNow. "Why are you trying to protect USTM? What is the reason? Do you receive advertisements from them?" Sarma again asked. "I am asking with a smile on my face: Shah Alam and Mahbubul Hoque need to explain whether we will be able to live in Assam or not." he continued.
Sarma folded his hands, looked at the reporter again and asked, "Will the Assamese people survive given the demographic change happening?" Sarma was talking to reporters after he accompanied two BJP leaders, Mission Ranjan Das and Rameswar Teli, who filed their nomination papers for Rajya Sabha bye-elections.
Reacting to the CM's attitude towards the journalist, the Gauhati Press Club, Dispur Press Club, Journalists Association for Assam, Assam Women Journalists' Forum, besides some other organisations representing journalists in Assam issued separate statements on Thursday condemning it. The Gauhati Press Club issued a statement saying the Chief Minister pulled the religious identity of a journalist into context without any apparent relevance during the press interaction.
"The Gauhati Press Club has noted with concern increasing instances of disparaging responses by political leaders when journalists ask them questions, as part of the job, during press interactions. We urge all political leaders to ensure no recurrence of such instances in future, and show dignity to their position as well as the role of media."
Sarma has been making several controversial statements targeting the Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam, whom BJP often refers to as infiltrators and a threat to identity and culture of the indigenous population.