BJP's U-turn, now backs Himanta

'Whatever Sarma said was the party's stand and not his persol opinion'

BY OUR STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI, Nov 3: Barely 24 hours after Assam BJP distancing itself from Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s comment on granting citizenship to Hindu Bangladeshis, the saffron party today took an u turn and backed Sarma’s comment.

Assam BJP spokesperson Rupam Goswami in a statement said that whatever Sarma said on granting citizenship to Hindu Bangldeshis was the party’s stand and not his persol opinion.

“I was uware of the decision of the party at that time. So I said like that in the press conference,” Goswami said.

Goswami on Wednesday had said, “The recent statements on the Bangladeshi Hindu issue made by Himanta Biswa Sarma are his persol, not of the party. The statements on Bangladeshi Hindus in the city yesterday were made in his persol function, neither of the BJP nor of the government led by it in the State. The statements were purely his persol, not of the party that has an honest-to-goodness policy of ‘sabka saath, sabka vikash’.

Sarma had said that Muslim migrants, and not Hindus, from Bangladesh threaten to reduce the Assamese to a minority in their own State. To buttress his point, he had pointed out that in 11 districts of the state Assamese people have already become a minority and if the trend continues, they will become minority in six more districts.

He had also asked those opposed to the citizenship amendment bill to find out which community has threatened to reduce Assamese to a minority.

Goswami further said that BJP government never takes any steps against the interest of the indigenous people of Assam.

“Our government will not take any steps, which can pain the people of Assam,” Goswami said.