Full News Copy (200 words):
A major political controversy has erupted in Assam after a Congress-linked Muslim leader demanded reservation of 48 Assembly seats for the Mia Muslim community. The Bharatiya Janata Party reacted sharply, accusing the Congress of pursuing divisive politics and branding it as the ideological successor of the Muslim League.
Assam BJP spokesperson Kamal Kumar Medhi said the demand was a direct attack on the state’s indigenous communities. He alleged that the Congress has abandoned its nationalist legacy and is now promoting identity-based politics for electoral gains. Medhi recalled that former Congress stalwarts like Gopinath Bordoloi had strongly opposed Assam’s merger with Pakistan, while the present Congress leadership is reviving similar ideas in a different form.
The controversy began after Congress spokesperson and NSUI national secretary Mohsin Khan reportedly called for reserving 48 of Assam’s 126 Assembly seats for the Mia Muslim minority. The BJP termed the statement irresponsible and dangerous, claiming it was aimed at establishing political dominance of Islamist forces, particularly at a time when regional security concerns persist due to instability in neighbouring Bangladesh.
The BJP also alleged that leaders close to Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi supported the demand. The party pointed out that neither the Assam Congress nor the NSUI leadership has condemned the statement. BJP leaders cited past demands like “Miyaland,” a separate autonomous council, and a Mia museum as part of a long-term agenda.
The Assam BJP warned that it would strongly oppose any move threatening the state’s indigenous identity. The Congress has not issued an official response.
