'Assam CM wants cheap popularity': Tejashwi slams Himanta Biswa for scrapping Muslim leaders' 2-hour namaz break

Digital Desk: In a recent development, the Assam Assembly has scrapped the two-hour Jumma break that allowed Muslim legislators to offer prayers every Friday. This decision has stirred controversy and drawn criticism from various political quarters, particularly from Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav.

Tejashwi Yadav, a former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, was quick to criticize Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, labelling him as a "Chinese version of UP CM Adityanath Yogi." Yadav accused Sarma of seeking "cheap popularity" by targeting Muslims, thereby alleging that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has made Muslims its "soft target."

"Assam's Chief Minister is doing this for cheap popularity. Who is he? He just wants cheap popularity. BJP has made Muslims a soft target. Sometimes they introduce the Waqf Board Bill, then they bring CAA-NRC... they keep targeting the minorities somehow... they want to spread hatred in society," Yadav told reporters in Patna.

The Jumma break, a colonial-era practice that allowed Muslim legislators a two-hour break from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm on Fridays for prayers, was discontinued by the Assam Assembly through an amendment to Rule 11 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business. Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma defended the decision, stating on X, "By doing away with the 2-hour Jumma break, Assam Assembly has prioritized productivity and shed another vestige of colonial baggage."

Sarma further heightened that the practice was introduced by Syed Saadulla of the Muslim League in 1937 and expressed gratitude to the Speaker of the Assembly, Biswajit Daimary, and other legislators for what he termed a "historical decision."

However, Tejashwi Yadav saw this move as part of a broader agenda to target Muslims. He expressed his concerns in a video clip shared on X, stating, "They want to bother Muslims in some way or the other and spread hatred in the society. BJP should understand that even Muslims had sacrificed their lives in the freedom struggle." 

Alongside the video, Yadav wrote, "In an attempt to gain cheap popularity and become the 'Chinese version of Yogi,' the Chief Minister of Assam deliberately keeps doing acts that harass Muslims. The people of BJP have made Muslim brothers a soft target to spread hatred, attract the attention of Modi-Shah, and polarise the society."

A Muslim MLA from the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) also questioned the necessity of changing a longstanding tradition. He stated, "What was the need to change an existing tradition? The present BJP-led government in Assam under Himanta Biswa Sarma is targeting the Muslim community, keeping the 2026 assembly polls in mind."

As Assam moves forward without the Jumma break, the debate over the balance between tradition, productivity, and communal harmony continues to evolve, reflecting the complexities of modern Indian politics.