BJP's Assam strategy: Disregard Miya Muslims, re-doing NRC lists and rally in key areas

GUWAHATI: As Assam gears up for the assembly polls, the ruling BJP is harping on a three-pronged strategy to retain its Eastern bastion –– creating a divide among the Muslims by asking only those from Assam to vote for them while disowning Muslims from Bangladesh; leveraging the political dividends from PM Modi-Shah and Nirmala Sitharaman’s visits to the state; and insisting on redoing the NRC lists, if large-scale anomalies are found in the re-verification exercise.

The party is making its presence felt in key pockets like the latest visit planned by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 6 to the tea estates of Assam. Over 8 lakh tea workers will be provided Rs 3000 each through direct benefit transfer (they had received Rs 5,000 earlier in two instalments) –– wooing the tea tribes, a crucial support base for the BJP in Assam, who are a determining factor in at least 30 assembly seats. The tea belts of Brahmaputra and Barak valley has over 60 lakh people.

Similarly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Dhekiajuli on February 7 to lay the foundation of two medical colleges and inaugurate roads projects under Assam Mala. The place is a tea producing area along the north bank of Brahmaputra.


While the BJP had, in 2016, campaigned saying the election was the last battle of Saraighat, referring to the 1671 battle in which the Ahom army in Assam had defeated the Mughals, its focus this time is on playing the indigenous card.

Miya Muslim Factor
The BJP has been explicitly stating that it does not require the votes of the Bengali-speaking Miya Muslims alleging them to be communal and whose culture is in variance to the Assamese culture.

The natural consequence is that this faction is likely to gravitate to the Congress and All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), which are jointly fighting this year’s assembly polls. They have in the past supported Congress and AIUDF.

Muslims in Assam have different divisions based on their social and linguistic backgrounds –– those who are descendants of Bengali-speaking Muslims are called ‘miyas’.

BJP’s stance can be critical as Muslims comprise 34% of the 3.12 crore population of Assam, of which 4% are indigenous Assamese Muslims and the remaining mostly Bengali-speaking Muslims. Muslim votes are a determining factor in at least 30-35 assembly seats.

Assam finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has been very vocal about his stand against the Miya Muslims. He claimed that the BJP would not give party tickets to the Miya Muslims of Assam and even asked the Congress not to give tickets to them.

Sarma said, “In Assam, Muslims are divided into two streams, one who are indigenous and the other who have come from Bangladesh at different points of time. They have started to identify themselves as Miyas. They are very communal and very fundamentalist. They have started to identify themselves with various activities to distort the Assamese culture and language. Morally, I cannot stand in the assembly if they voted for us. If you identify yourself as Miya Muslims don’t vote for us, if you identify yourself as Assamese Muslims, please vote for us.”

The indigenous Muslim communities include Gorias, Morias, Deshis and Jolahs.

“We will give party tickets for Muslims, but not give tickets to those who identify themselves as Miya Muslim in the context of Assam. In Assam, the word Miya has been used to challenge our identity, our culture by a particular micro section of muslims. We are not going to give them tickets. With folded hand, I request them not to vote for us even by mistake. But those muslims who identify India and Assam as our mother land, they will vote for us. I am also requesting the Congress not to allow the Miyas to flourish”.

AICC general secretary in-charge of Assam Jitendra Singh countered this saying, “Assam’s identity, culture and language is under threat under BJP’s rule. The BJP only wants to divide people.”

NRC
The final NRC list has been a sore point for the BJP. While the Congress and AIUDF are satisfied with the outcome of the NRC published in 2019, BJP is not. The final NRC list, published on August 31, 2019, had found more than 31.1 million people eligible to be included in the registry while leaving out over 1.9 million people.

The Assam government and the Centre had sought a 20% sample reverification of names in the draft NRC in the districts bordering Bangladesh and a 10% sample reverification of names in the remaining districts. However, the Supreme Court, which is monitoring the NRC process, did not allow the plea.

Sarma said, “We will have to redo the NRC if anomalies are found after re-verification.”

“When Union Home minister Amit Shah said that only the BJP can protect Assam from infiltration, he implied a correct NRC, border management and deportation of foreigners and in the next five years Assam will be infiltration-free,” he claimed.

Madrasas
Assam governor Jagdish Mukhi has given his assent to ‘The Assam Repealing Act 2020’ which converts all government-run madrasas into upper primary, high school and higher secondary schools. The AIUDF had stated that if voted to power, they would reopen all the closed madrasas.