Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma seemingly stirred up another storm with his remark. Himanta said he has identified a “pattern” of the encroachment by illegal Muslim immigrants.
He said the Muslim encroachers first rent a house, then cut a cow on the premises.
Warning houseowners who rent out their premises, Himanta said: “Their culture doesn’t match ours. What happens if they slaughter a cow on the premises, saying ‘I can eat beef’? The nearby temple will be forced to move away. Rented houses are the problem in Assam.”
“First they [illegal Muslim immigrants] rent a house, then they cut the cow, then a Masjid comes up. This forces the Satra [Vaishnavite monastic institutions in Assam] out of the area. This is a pattern in Assam,” he said.
‘Identify Illegal Muslims’
He urged student organisations and NGOs to identify such patterns and expose the people. “However, they should not do the final deed. They don’t have to go to the houses. That should be left to the government. They may call the houseowners and question them that why did they rent out their premises to Muslims. This would pollute our area. There is no harm in requesting,” Himanta said.
In an apparent reference to a purported meeting of Muslim journalists in June, organised by the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Himanta said: “Have you ever seen a meeting of Hindu journalists? But They organised one. That is the truth. Our community is being squeezed continuously. A few have surrendered, while a few others are trying to fight it. Those who are fighting are being called to talk shows and shamed to be demoralised.”
He said that such people eventually give up. “In the end, you will have to marry your mothers and sisters to these people,” he warned in a video that is going viral now.