Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma
Credit: PTI photo
Siwan: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said RJD candidate Osama Shahab shared his first name with terrorist Osama Bin Laden and his victory in the assembly polls will spell a "defeat for Hindus".
Sarma was addressing a rally in the Raghunathpur assembly segment of Siwan district, where Osama Shahab, the son of deceased former MP Mohd Shahabuddin, is making his debut.
"When I was coming to Raghunathpur, I was thrilled as the name evoked the memories of Lord Ram and Sita. But I learnt that there is also an Osama here.... The father of this Osama, Shahabuddin, had created a record in committing murders. He must have grown up playing with AK-47 rifles instead of toys," he claimed.
"If such an Osama wins from Raghunathpur, it will be a defeat for Hindus. I shall myself be watching the results of this constituency on November 14, sitting at the gates of Kamakhya temple in Assam. I am sure you people will reject Osama just as you had defeated his mother in Lok Sabha polls," said Sarma, referring to Shahabuddin's widow Hina Shahab, who had contested the parliamentary elections as an Independent candidate.
The BJP leader spoke of having ruled "a difficult state, with 40 per cent Muslim population, a large number of them infiltrators” and blamed the Congress, which he quit a decade ago, for the scenario.
"When I became the CM, I was told by the bureaucracy that infiltrators were in possession of 1 lakh acre of land. I take pride in having freed 50,000 acres. The infiltrators also pose a threat to our womenfolk. The Congress had been footing the bill for the salaries of teachers at Madrasas. I put an end to it, making it clear the government is supposed to train doctors and engineers, and not mullahs," said Sarma.
"Later this month, I am also going to bring a law that would send to jail those who marry three to four times. I am going to shut down this shop," he said, evoking wild applause from the crowds.
Sarma urged the people to vote for the government headed by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the JD(U) president who has long been a BJP ally, and keep at bay the "Tejashwi-Osama duo".
The BJP leader said he was confident of an NDA victory in Bihar as "Hindus have woken up across the country, ever since Narendra Modi came to power".
"Awakened Hindus defeated the legacy of Babur and Aurangzeb in Ayodhya, where a temple of Lord Ram stands. They will again beat Osama," he claimed.
He also slammed the opposition for "trying to protect infiltrators by opposing SIR".