Overview
- Sarma, speaking in Lakhimpur on Friday, said the BJP-led government would “break the backbone” of Bangladeshi “Miyas” if it returns to power in the April 9 assembly election.
- He claimed his administration cleared 1.5 lakh bighas of what he called encroached land in five years and set a 5 lakh bigha target for a new term, with a bigha being a local unit of land area.
- The chief minister paired the message with pledges of 2 lakh government jobs, Rs 2 lakh each for 10 lakh youths to start businesses, and free education if re-elected.
- The Gauhati High Court on February 26 sought his response to petitions alleging hate speech after the Supreme Court earlier declined to entertain pleas for an FIR.
- In Assam, “Miya” is a slur for Bengali-speaking Muslims that some now reclaim, and reporters have documented demolition drives since 2016 that mostly hit areas where they live.