Looking for Muslim factor in Assam polls says Sarbananda Sonowal , Narendra Modi , Maria , Manmohan Singh , Lok Sabha , AIUDF, Bangladesh,Assam polls, Assam assembly election schedule
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- Last Updated: Monday, 07 March 2016 14:33
Looking for Muslim factor in Assam polls says Sarbananda Sonowal , Narendra Modi , Maria , Manmohan Singh , Lok Sabha , AIUDF, Bangladesh,Assam polls, Assam assembly election schedule
A day before the election commission announced the dates for assembly polls — April 4 and 11 in Assam— Union minister for sports and youth affairs and BJP's chief ministerial candidate for Assam Sarbananda Sonowal told ET Magazine's Shantanu Nandan Sharma that the party has been reaching out to "genuine Assamese Muslims". Excerpts from the interview:
The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) could not win a single seat in the last Lok Sabha polls. What then is the rationale behind having an alliance with the regional party and leaving as many as 24 seats to it?
This is a formidable alliance capable of taking on and defeating the political forces that have been protecting illegal migrants. Our target is the alliance of the Congress and the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF, led by Badruddin Ajmal). These two parties have emerged as the most dangerous force, designing to destroy the identity of the people living both in the Brahmaputra and Barak valleys of Assam.
Who is your bigger rival — the Congress or the AIUDF?
Both the parties have a common agenda. Both have been working together to protect the interests of illegal migrants. They want to destroy the identity of Assam — whether it is cultural identity, political identity, or land rights. So, our sole agenda will be to defeat these two parties and protect the interest of the greater Assamese society, which includes Bengalis, Marwaris, Punjabis, Nepalis, among others, living in Assam. Whoever has joined this alliance has taken a vow to work in the interests of this greater Assamese society.
Assam's demography is such that over 35 per cent of people are Muslims. Are you planning to form a government targeting less than 65 per cent of the population?
We have reached out to genuine Assamese Muslims who have been living in the state for 800 years (as against those whose forefathers came from East Pakistan, now Bangladesh). The Assamese Muslims are known by different names such as Garia, Maria, Desi, Jula, Sayed and the like. They are the genuine Assamese Muslims. We have been working towards protecting their interests. In fact, Assamese Muslims are under threat because of the influx of Muslims from Bangladesh. The local Muslims are feeling insecure. Whether it is getting a job or a political share, the Muslim migrants have outmanoeuvred the Assamese Muslims. We are now addressing the concerns of the Assamese Muslims.
We have reached out to genuine Assamese Muslims who have been living in the state for 800 years (as against those whose forefathers came from East Pakistan, now Bangladesh). The Assamese Muslims are known by different names such as Garia, Maria, Desi, Jula, Sayed and the like. They are the genuine Assamese Muslims. We have been working towards protecting their interests. In fact, Assamese Muslims are under threat because of the influx of Muslims from Bangladesh. The local Muslims are feeling insecure. Whether it is getting a job or a political share, the Muslim migrants have outmanoeuvred the Assamese Muslims. We are now addressing the concerns of the Assamese Muslims.
You also promised granting Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to six communities of Assam before the poll dates were announced. The Central government has so far merely formed a committee.
Giving tribal status to six communities (Moran, Muttock, Tai Ahom, Koch Rajbongshi, Sutia and the tea community) has been a demand for many decades. The Congress failed to keep its promise given in the assembly to grant ST status to these six communities. We took up the issue very seriously but it was found that these communities can't be given ST status under the existing rules. So, the Union home ministry has decided that Assam should be considered an exception. The ministry has constituted a committee which will now decide on the modality of the reservation.
src: ET