Assam Congress MLA Abdur Rashid Mandal Defends Tejashwi Yadav’s Remark on CM Himanta Biswa Sarma
Kamrup Metropolitan (Assam) [India], September 1: Assam Congress MLA Abdur Rashid Mandal defended Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav’s comment about Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Tejashwi had called CM Himanta the ‘Chinese version of Yogi’ while criticizing the Assam Assembly’s decision to end the 2-hour Jumma practice on Fridays.
Mandal stated, ‘I do not think it is a racist remark. There are goods in the market marketed by the Chinese made from the latest technology to make it popularise… operation made by Himanta Biswa is termed as Chinese.’
However, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat called Tejashwi Yadav’s remark ‘unfortunate’ and racist, saying it insulted both Sarma and the people of Northeast India and Assam. He demanded an apology from Yadav for his ‘irresponsible statement.’
RJD MP Manoj Jha also defended Tejashwi Yadav, explaining that the remark was against the BJP’s dog-whistle politics. Jha said, ‘When we say that something is ‘Chinese maal’, it means it is not durable. He said it in the context of dog-whistle politics, the politics of polarisation.’
The Assam Assembly recently ended the practice of a two-hour adjournment for Jumma Prayers on Fridays, a practice introduced by Saadulah’s Muslim League government in colonial Assam. Assam Speaker Biswajit Daimary explained that the decision was made because it had become difficult to hold discussions on Fridays due to a lack of time. The Assembly will now conduct its proceedings without any adjournment for religious purposes, starting at 9.30 am every day, including Fridays.
Doubts Revealed
Assam Congress MLA -: An MLA is a Member of the Legislative Assembly, which means they are elected to represent people in a specific area of a state. Assam is a state in India, and Congress is one of the major political parties in India.
Abdur Rashid Mandal -: Abdur Rashid Mandal is a politician from Assam who is a member of the Congress party. He represents the people in the Assam Legislative Assembly.
Tejashwi Yadav -: Tejashwi Yadav is a politician from Bihar, another state in India. He is a leader of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) party.
CM Himanta Biswa Sarma -: CM stands for Chief Minister, who is the head of the government in an Indian state. Himanta Biswa Sarma is the Chief Minister of Assam.
RJD -: RJD stands for Rashtriya Janata Dal, which is a political party in India, mainly active in the state of Bihar.
Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat -: A Union Minister is a member of the central government of India. Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is one such minister, responsible for a specific department or ministry.
racist -: Racist means treating people unfairly or badly because of their race or skin color. It is wrong and hurtful.
dog-whistle politics -: Dog-whistle politics means using coded language that seems normal but is meant to appeal to certain groups of people, often in a negative way.
Assam Assembly -: The Assam Assembly is the place where elected representatives of Assam meet to make laws and discuss important issues.
Jumma prayer adjournment -: Jumma prayer is a special prayer that Muslims do on Fridays. Adjournment means taking a break or stopping something for a while. In this context, it means stopping the Assembly meetings for the prayer.
colonial-era practice -: Colonial-era practice refers to something that started when India was ruled by the British, before it became independent in 1947.
