R. Ashok alleges disrespect to Governor during joint session; seeks action after video review
Bengaluru: Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka on Friday accused the state government of showing disrespect to the Governor during his address to the joint session of the Legislature and demanded action against those responsible after reviewing video footage of the incident.
Speaking in the Legislative Assembly, Ashoka questioned claims that BJP members had torn the clothes of Legislative Council member B.K. Hariprasad during the commotion. “If Hariprasad’s kurta was torn, who did it? Those who blocked the Governor and clashed with marshals were Congress members. Yet, the blame is being put on the BJP,” he said, urging the authorities to verify the footage and take action against the guilty.
Ashoka also rejected allegations from the ruling party that the Governor had disrespected the national anthem. He argued that it was the government’s responsibility to arrange the anthem, not the Governor’s. “The Governor concluded his speech and left after saying ‘Jai Hind’. He was made to leave alone, without anyone accompanying him. Portraying this as him ‘running away’ is unfair,” he said, referring to comments attributed to Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H. K. Patil.
The opposition leader maintained that while governments may come and go, legislative traditions and rules must be upheld. He demanded that action be taken against ruling party members for the alleged disrespect shown to the Governor, similar to past instances where BJP legislators were suspended.
Joining the debate, BJP leader Dr C.N. Ashwath Narayan said the Speaker must protect the dignity of the House. Citing Assembly rules, he said those who disrupted the Governor’s address should face action in the next session, and called for a resolution condemning the incident along with an apology to the Governor.
Responding from the treasury benches, ruling party member K.M. Shivalingegowda said the government had welcomed the Governor with due respect but objected to what he termed disrespect to the national anthem while the Governor was leaving. He downplayed the obstruction, saying it did not amount to a serious offence.
Speaker U. T. Khader later said written complaints had been received from both sides the ruling party alleging disrespect to the national anthem, and the opposition alleging disrespect to the Governor. He said the matter would be examined and a ruling would be given, adding that the House should focus on discussion rather than personal hostility.
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Trouble ‘Miyas’ everywhere only then they will leave Assam: Himanta Biswa Sarma
Says “Himanta Biswa Sarma, BJP are openly against them, we are saying it openly
New Delhi: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said that four to five lakh “Miya voters” would be removed from the electoral rolls in the state once the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists is carried out. He also made a series of controversial remarks openly targeting the Miya community, a term commonly used in Assam in a derogatory sense to refer to Bengali-speaking Muslims.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an official programme in Digboi in Tinsukia district, Sarma said it was his responsibility to create difficulties for the Miya community and claimed that both he and the BJP were “directly against Miyas”.
“Four to five lakh Miya votes will have to be deleted in Assam when the SIR happens,” Sarma said, adding that such voters “should ideally not be allowed to vote in Assam, but in Bangladesh”. He asserted that the government was ensuring that they would not be able to vote in the state.
The chief minister was responding to questions about notices issued to thousands of Bengali-speaking Muslims during the claims and objections phase of the ongoing Special Revision (SR) of electoral rolls in Assam. While the Election Commission is conducting SIR exercises in 12 states and Union Territories, Assam is currently undergoing an SR, which is usually meant for routine updates.
Calling the current SR “preliminary”, Sarma said that a full-fledged SIR in Assam would lead to large-scale deletion of Miya voters. He said he was unconcerned about criticism from opposition parties over the issue.
“Let the Congress abuse me as much as they want. My job is to make the Miya people suffer,” Sarma said. He claimed that complaints filed against members of the community were done on his instructions and that he had encouraged BJP workers to keep filing complaints.
“I have told people wherever possible they should fill Form 7 so that they have to run around a little and are troubled,” he said, adding that such actions were meant to send a message that “the Assamese people are still living”.
In remarks that drew further outrage, Sarma urged people to trouble members of the Miya community in everyday life, claiming that “only if they face troubles will they leave Assam”. He also accused the media of sympathising with the community and warned journalists against such coverage.
“So you all should also trouble, and you should not do news that sympathise with them. There will be love jihad in your own house.” He said.
The comments triggered reactions from opposition leaders. Raijor Dal president and MLA Akhil Gogoi said the people of Assam had not elected Sarma to keep one community under constant pressure. Congress leader Aman Wadud accused the chief minister of rendering the Constitution meaningless in the state, saying his remarks showed a complete disregard for constitutional values.
According to the draft electoral rolls published on December 27, Assam currently has 2.51 crore voters. Election officials said 4.78 lakh names were marked as deceased, 5.23 lakh as having shifted, and 53,619 duplicate entries were removed during the revision process. Authorities also claimed that verification had been completed for over 61 lakh households.
On January 25, six opposition parties the Congress, Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad, CPI, CPI(M) and CPI(M-L) submitted a memorandum to the state’s chief electoral officer. They alleged widespread legal violations, political interference and selective targeting of genuine voters during the SR exercise, describing it as arbitrary, unlawful and unconstitutional.
