RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Sunday slammed Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and said that he wants “cheap publicity and wants to remain in the news”.
Yadav told ANI, “I had tweeted yesterday as well that he is the Chinese replica of Yogi Adityanath. He wants the situation to deteriorate. Yogi Adityanath is using bulldozers and he (Assam CM) is stopping namaz, the country belongs to everyone.”
Earlier, Tejashwi had referred to CM Himanta as the “Chinese version of Yogi,” while attacking him over Assam Assembly’s decision to end the 2-hour Jumma practice on Friday.
The state assembly has abolished the practice of a two-hour adjournment for Jumma Prayers every Friday, a practice introduced by Saadulah’s Muslim League government during colonial times in Assam.
Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma criticized RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav for his comments on the rule regarding the namaz break and advised Yadav to practice what he preaches.
“Tejashwi Yadav is criticising me, but I want to ask him if there is any such practice in Bihar. You (Yadav) should have implemented a four-hour break when you were deputy chief minister of Bihar. Practice it first before preaching,” Sarma said.
“I will re-implement the two-hour Jumma break, if those who are advising me first put into practice four-hour break in their respective states,” Sarma said.
“Doing away with the two-hour Jumma break was not chief minister’s decision but it is the decision of all Hindu and Muslim legislators. When the Assembly Speaker on Friday announced it, no Muslim MLA in the House raised any protest. There are 25 Muslim MLAs in Assam assembly out of total 126 legislators,” he said.
Assam Speaker Biswajit Daimary explained that the change was made because holding discussions on Fridays had become challenging due to time constraints.
Under the previous rule, the Assembly sessions on Fridays were adjourned at 11 am to allow Muslim members to attend Namaaz. The new rule mandates that the Assembly will now proceed without any adjournments for religious reasons.
According to the amended rule, the Assam Assembly will start its sessions at 9:30 am daily, including Fridays. The order stated that the change was made to eliminate a colonial-era practice that was seen as dividing society along religious lines.
