"Even when their buffalo does not...": Asaduddin Owaisi slams Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma For "Miya" Remark

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• Jul 15, 2023 | Dhupali Das

Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi slammed Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for blaming the...

Digital Desk: Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi slammed Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for blaming the rising prices of vegetables on Muslim vendors. "Perhaps they blame "Miya bhai" for their personal failures," he said.

CM Sarma sparked controversy earlier on Friday when he said that Muslim vegetable vendors are raising vegetable prices and that if "Assamese people" sold vegetables, they would never charge "their Assamese people" more.

"Who are the people responsible for such a significant increase in the price of vegetables? They are Miya vendors selling vegetables at higher prices," CM Sarma said.

In the local dialect, 'Miya' refers to Bengali-speaking Muslims who live in Assam but are thought to have originally migrated from Bangladesh. The Assam CM has frequently reprimanded the Miya community for its "very communal" nature. He has even stated that they are 'outsiders,' accusing them of attempting to corrupt Assamese culture and language.

"Miya traders in Guwahati charge Assamese people high prices for vegetables, while the price of vegetables is low in the villages. If Assamese traders were selling vegetables today, they would never have charged more from their Assamese people," CM Sarma added, according to a BBC report. 

Owaisi, President of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), fired back with a strong retort.

"There is a mandali (group) in the country that will blame Miya ji even if the buffalo does not give milk or the hen does not lay eggs in their house. Perhaps they blame their 'personal' failures on Miya bhai as well," Owaisi said. 

The AIMIM chief also took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating the PM and foreign Muslims have a great relationship.

"Manage by asking them for tomatoes, spinach, potatoes, and so on," he quipped, referring to the PM's recent visits to Muslim-majority countries.