‘Miya’ Muslims not enemies of BJP, says Himanta Biswa Sarma

A week after the Gauhati High Court issued him a notice for alleged hate speech, Himanta Biswa Sarma, Chief Minister of Assam, said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) does not view ‘Miya’ Muslims as its enemies.

However, he said the party has an issue with members of the community who practise various forms of jihad and child marriage.

Miya, although an honorific in northern India, is used as a pejorative for Bengali-speaking or Bengal-origin Muslims, often labelled Bangladeshis or “illegal immigrants”.

Outlining the BJP’s electoral strategy for minority-dominated Assembly constituencies in the election-bound State on Thursday (March 5, 2026), the Chief Minister said his party was comfortable with anyone who loves the nation and says ‘Bharat mata ki jai’ (victory to mother India) or ‘Vande Mataram’ without hesitation.

“The Miya people are not our enemies. Our problem is with love jihad, land encroachment, child marriage, and fertilizer jihad [an accusation that farmers of the community use chemicals on the food they grow for mass consumption],” he told journalists at the State BJP headquarters in Guwahati.

He said the BJP would not consider the community as antagonists if these issues are addressed.

The Chief Minister also said his party would contest in a few minority-dominated Assembly seats and that candidates would be chosen based on their probability of winning. “Selection of candidates will not be based on religion,” he asserted.

On February 26, the Gauhati High Court issued a notice to Mr. Sarma after hearing multiple petitions seeking action against him for targeting the ‘Miya’ community with alleged hate speeches and symbolic violence.