An FIR has been filed against Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for his controversial remarks on people belonging to the Miya community in the state.

The FIR was lodged by the Asom Sankhayalaghu Sangram Parishad against Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma at the Nagaon Sadar police station.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has attracted flak for blaming the ‘Miya’ people for the inflated prices of vegetables in the State.

‘Miya’ is a pejorative term used for the Bengali-speaking or Bengal-origin Muslims in Assam.

“The price of the vegetables sold by the farmers in the rural areas is not high. But the prices of the same vegetables increase manifold when sold in Guwahati. This is being done by the Miya traders,” he told some TV channels a couple of days ago.

The Chief Minister’s remarks have not gone down well with some political parties.

Maulana Badruddin Ajmal, the chief of the Assam-based All India United Democratic Front and MP from Dhubri, also slammed Mr. Sarma for allegedly targeting the minorities.

“The Chief Minister said the Miyas will not be allowed to sell vegetables and masala in Guwahati. Such words do not suit the head of a State. By saying this, he is trying to create a division between Muslims and the Assamese people,” he told journalists.

The Congress in Assam condemned the Chief Minister for trying to polarise people on religious lines even through farm products.  

“The country has a group that will blame the Miya even when the buffalo does not give milk or the hen does not lay eggs in their houses. Perhaps they blame their personal failures on the Miya bhai,” All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi said.

He also took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for befriending foreign Muslims – a reference to his visits to Muslim-majority countries – while keeping those at home under pressure.