AMN / WEB DESK
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has set conditions for migrant Bangladesh-origin Bengali-speaking Muslims, known as “miya,” to be recognized as indigenous people of the state. Sarma emphasized the need for them to stop having more than two children, practicing polygamy, and marrying off minor daughters, citing these practices as not in line with Assamese culture.
He urged them to prioritize education, sending their children to schools instead of madrassas, and encouraging them to pursue ..
He said ‘Miyas’ (Bengali-speaking Muslims) must forsake practices like child marriage and polygamy to be considered ‘khilonjiya’ indigenous people of Assam.
Most members of the Bengali-speaking Muslim community of the state have roots in Bangladesh. Sarma’s statement came after the Centre implemented the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) last month.
“Whether ‘Miyas’ are indigenous or not is a different matter. What we are saying is that if they try to be ‘indigenous’, we have no problem. But for that, they have to forsake child marriage and polygamy, and encourage women’s education,” Sarma was quoted by PTI as saying on Saturday.
‘Miya’ is originally a pejorative term used for Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam. The non-Bengali-speaking people generally identify them as Bangladeshi immigrants. In recent years, activists from the community have started adopting this term as a gesture of defiance, the report added.
Sarma said marrying two or three times is not an Assamese culture. “I always tell them, there is no problem in ‘Miyas’ being indigenous. But they cannot have two-three wives. That is not an Assamese culture. How can one encroach Satra (Vaishnavite monastery) land and want to be indigenous?” he said.