Latest news with #Bengali-speakingMuslims
New Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
CPI(M) alleges Bengali-speaking Muslims 'pushed back' without verification in post-Pahalgam crackdown
NEW DELHI: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Saturday alleged that Bengali-speaking Muslims are being targeted without any verification and demanded that the government should deal with those who have entered the country illegally according to laid-out procedures. In a statement, the Politburo of CPI(M) said it condemns the "inhuman 'push-back' and deportation of suspected Bangladeshi citizens". "The government should deal with those who have entered the country illegally according to the well-laid out procedures," it said. The Left party alleged that in the "aftermath of the Pahalgam terrorist attack, BJP-led state governments and the central government are targeting particularly Bengali-speaking Muslims and without any verification, pushed them to Bangladesh". According to reports, some genuine Indian citizens too are arrested and pushed into Bangladesh, it alleged. "Even those citizens who were declared foreign nationals by the foreigners tribunals, but whose appeals are still pending before the high court in Assam and the Supreme Court, have been forcibly pushed back. This should not be allowed," it said.
The Wire
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Wire
Opposition Decries Assam Govt Scheme Giving Gun Licenses to Indigenous People in Six Districts
New Delhi: In poll-bound Assam, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government has announced that a special scheme has been cleared by the state cabinet whereby arms licenses will be handed over to 'original inhabitants' living in 'vulnerable and remote areas' and those along the border with Bangladesh as a 'deterrent to unlawful threats'. Making that announcement at a press conference in Guwahati on Wednesday (May 28) after a cabinet meeting, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma named six districts where the special scheme will apply. Most of these districts, however, don't border Bangladesh, while all of them are predominantly Muslim. 'It's a very important and sensitive decision. Indigenous people in these districts live in an atmosphere of insecurity due to the recent developments in Bangladesh. They face the threat of attacks from the Bangladesh side and even in their own villages,' said Sarma. Underlining the fact that assembly elections are slated for early next year in the northeastern state, where the ruling BJP has been successfully polarising voters on the issue of 'illegal immigrants from Bangladesh', a Deccan Herald news report noted that the 'BJP in Assam considers the Bengali-speaking Muslims as 'illegal migrants' from Bangladesh and a threat to identity and culture of the indigenous Assamese people. The decision comes amid a drive for detection of illegal migrants (mainly Bengali-speaking Muslims) and 'push back' policy adopted by the government for sending them back to Bangladesh.' The news report quoted Sarma as saying that 'the indigenous people who are in a minority in these vulnerable areas face threats and are in a sense of insecurity. The decision was taken in view of long-standing demand by indigenous people in these areas. The government won't help them buy arms but will give them the license to procure them.' Hinting at the former Tarun Gogoi-led Congress government, the chief minister also said , 'Had previous governments given them arms licences, many people would not have to sell their lands and leave the places. We could have saved a lot of lands from being occupied.' The BJP government's decision has been widely criticised by the opposition parties in the state. Newly named state Congress president and deputy leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, called it a 'dangerous step' backwards towards 'lawlessness and jungle raj'. Asking Sarma to take the decision back immediately, Gogoi, who is increasingly being seen in the state as a formidable opponent to Sarma in the coming polls, said the chief minister should rather focus on restoring public trust through his leadership. On X, Gogoi also said , 'I strongly condemn Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's decision to distribute arms to civilians in border regions of the state.' He said the people of Assam deserve jobs, affordable healthcare and quality education, not guns. Gogoi, an MP from the state's Jorhat constituency, said, 'Instead of strengthening police and border forces, the government is intent on distributing arms amongst BJP-RSS [Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh] sympathisers and local criminal syndicates. This will lead to gang violence and crimes based on personal vendettas. Local businessmen and traders are bound to be harassed.' Congress leader and former state pradesh Congress president Bhupen Borah asked , 'Are we trying to emulate the United States, where gun violence is rampant? Do we want our children growing up in a society where firearms are normalised?' Another fiery opposition leader in the state, Raijor Dal chief Akhil Gogoi, accused the Sarma government of orchestrating a 'dangerous political strategy' aimed at fuelling communal unrest ahead of the 2026 elections. Akhil Gogoi, also MLA for the state's Sivasagar constituency, said, 'If the government says it cannot protect indigenous people, it amounts to an admission that the home department has failed. It's a shame. 'It is not a routine policy move; it has the potential to tear Assam apart and disturb communal harmony before the elections,' he said. Opposition leader and president of the Assam Jatiya Parishad, Lurinjyoti Gogoi, also called it a ploy to divide communities ahead of the elections. 'First, it was Smart Police, then Police Raj and now a free-for-all-gun culture. This is not just incompetence, it's a deliberate attempt to stoke communal tensions as elections approach.' Susmita Dev, Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP and a native of Assam's Silchar town located close to the Bangladesh border, too questioned the government's move. 'He [Sarma] said that this will be done to let 'sons of soils' protect themselves from illegal immigrants. He is asking people to have arms licenses, meaning he does not have trust in [the] Assam police and Border Security Force (BSF). This is an insult to the BSF and Assam Police.' A report in the Guwahati-based The Sentinel quoted All Assam Minority Students Union president Rezaul Karima Sarkar saying, 'We, the Assamese people – irrespective of being a minority or majority – are peace-loving. But this government, led by Himanta Biswa Sarma, seems determined to disrupt our peace with such decisions.' Urging the government to reconsider its decision, Sarkar said, 'It is the government's sole responsibility to protect its citizens. The home department, which is run by none other than the chief minister himself, is there for this very purpose. But, pathetically, we are witnessing a situation where, instead of providing pens for community development and promoting peace, the government is offering guns, provoking violence. 'By doing so, the government is essentially admitting its own failure.'
Economic Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Economic Times
Assam's hair-trigger plan to be 'America'
Synopsis Assam's cabinet has approved a scheme to provide arms licenses to indigenous people in vulnerable areas, raising concerns about potential social polarization and vigilantism. Critics argue the plan, ostensibly for self-protection, disproportionately impacts Bengali-speaking Muslims and effectively outsources state protection selectively. The move is seen as divisive and unconstitutional, prompting calls for its immediate cancellation.
The Hindu
7 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
2026 Assembly polls will be a Gogoi versus Saikia contest, says Assam BJP chief
GUWAHATI: Assam Bharatiya Janata Party president and MP Dilip Saikia's reaction to Gaurav Gogoi's appointment as his Congress counterpart has set tongues wagging. Congratulating Mr. Gogoi for following in the footsteps of his father and former Chief Minister, the late Tarun Gogoi, Mr Saikia said the 2026 Assembly elections would be a 'Gogoi versus Saikia' contest. 'I wish Gogoi well. If we have the people's blessings, Saikia can fulfil his wishes of making the BJP a stronger party in Assam,' he said Monday (May 26, 2025) night. Mr. Saikia said that he felt bad for Bhupen Kumar Borah, who Mr. Gogoi replaced. The State BJP chief said Mr. Borah had steered Congress through a difficult phase for almost four years. 'Gaurav Gogoi will now have to brave all conditions to visit all parts of Assam, not only Dhubri and Goalpara,' he said. Dhubri and Goalpara are districts dominated by Bengali-speaking Muslims. The Congress party is often accused of appeasing them. BJP downplays Saikia's remarks, says polls are fought between parties The State BJP leadership said one should not 'over-analyse' Mr. Saikia's view that the 2026 polls would be a contest between him and Mr. Gogoi. 'Elections are fought between parties represented by their respective presidents,' a spokesperson said. The comment, however, has stoked speculations that the BJP may be looking beyond Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in its bid to expand the party base. A section of BJP leaders with roots in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is unhappy with the 'style of functioning' of the Chief Minister and 'other imports' from Congress. Meanwhile, the regional Assam Jatiya Parishad hoped appointment as the State Congress chief would give the United Opposition Forum, Assam (UOFA) a fresh lease of life. The Congress had forged the UOFA as a 16-party alliance to take on the BJP and its allies during the 2021 Assembly polls. The Grand Old Party walked out of the forum a few months ago. 'We extend our best wishes to Gaurav Gogoi for the new responsibility. We hope that the collective anti-BJP movement we have been carrying forward will now gain renewed momentum,' AJP president Lurinjyoti Gogoi and general secretary Jagadish Bhuyan said. The duo said Mr Gogoi's appointment came at a crucial juncture, requiring a strong and united front to counter the 'authoritarian and undemocratic' governance by the BJP.
News18
07-05-2025
- Politics
- News18
India-Pakistan 1971 War: When Indira Gandhi Called And Golda Meir Answered
Last Updated: Operation Sindoor: Israel's public support to India is no longer a diplomatic outlier. It's a continuation of a historical arc that began with Golda Meir's bold decision in 1971 India on Wednesday launched airstrikes against terror hideouts in Pakistan under the codename Operation Sindoor as a decisive and swift retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack last month in which 26 tourists were brutally murdered. Amid the global reactions to Operation Sindoor, one voice rang out with unmistakable clarity – Israel's ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, who tweeted in solidarity, 'Israel supports India's right for self defence. Terrorists should know there's no place to hide from their heinous crimes against the innocent." Behind these words stood a 50-year-old legacy of friendship, first forged in the secrecy of another war, another time. Israel's Help in 1971 It was July 1971, and the skies over East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) were dark with the smoke of genocide. The Pakistani army, acting under General Yahya Khan's brutal command, launched a campaign of terror against Bengali-speaking Muslims. As lakhs fled across the border into India, then-prime minister Indira Gandhi stood at a crossroads. International support was absent – then United States President Nixon backed Pakistan, and India faced isolation. In that hour of need, Israel quietly extended a lifeline. Despite not having formal diplomatic ties, Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir approved a clandestine operation to supply weapons and ammunition to India – equipment originally earmarked for Iran. Mortars, arms, and Israeli trainers were dispatched in utmost secrecy. Shlomo Jabludowicz, a key figure in Israeli defence manufacturing, facilitated the operation. There was one condition: India must eventually recognise Israel. That wish wouldn't be fulfilled until 1992 under Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao, but the seed of friendship had been sown in 1971, against all odds. The details, recorded by Indira Gandhi's aide PN Haksar, are preserved in the Nehru Memorial Museum today. He called it 'an amazing small success", but its strategic and symbolic impact was anything but small. That support helped both the Indian Army and Mukti Bahini push back the tide of oppression. On December 16, 1971, Pakistan surrendered, and Bangladesh was born. India's foreign policy in those years was complex. Public support for Palestine, concerns over domestic Muslim sentiment, and dependency on Arab oil made relations with Israel diplomatically risky. Still, Golda Meir's gamble proved prophetic. Trust laid in silence grew stronger with time. In the decades that followed, the quiet partnership evolved. By 1992, ties were formalised. Israel provided crucial support in the 1999 Kargil War, and in 2017, Prime Minister Narendra Modi became the first Indian leader to visit Israel, cementing a relationship based on shared intelligence, defence cooperation, and counterterrorism. Israel's public support is no longer a diplomatic outlier. It's a continuation of a historical arc that began with Golda Meir's bold decision. From the clandestine corridors of 1971 to the open skies of 2025, India and Israel have walked a long road together. First Published:
