Pure communal venom: Sibal slams Himanta for his 'Miya Muslims' remark

New Delhi: Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Wednesday slammed Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for his "will not let 'Miya' Muslims take over the state" remark, saying his comment was "pure communal venom" and silence was not the answer to such a statement.

Asserting that he would take sides, Sarma on Tuesday said he would not let 'Miya' Muslims "take over" Assam.

Sarma was speaking in the assembly on the admissibility of adjournment motions moved by the opposition parties to discuss the law and order situation in the state in the wake of the gangrape of a 14-year-old girl in Nagaon.

Reacting to the remarks, Sibal said on X, "Himanta (Assam CM): 'Will take sides. Will not let Miya Muslims take over all of Assam'. My take: Pure communal venom. Actionable. Silence not an answer."

'Miya' was used as a pejorative term for Bengali-speaking Muslims initially, and the non-Bengali-speaking people generally identify them as Bangladeshi immigrants. In recent years, activists from the community have started adopting this term as a gesture of defiance.