Assam: CM Sarma should focus on economy, health and not on ‘Miya Museum’ row, says AIUDF leader

Guwahati (Assam) [India], October 25 (ANI): All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) general secretary and party MLA Rafiqul Islam Tuesday lashed out at Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over the latter’s giving too much importance to Miya Museum issue. “The CM should discuss economy and health issues,” the AIUDF leader said.
“See, the economy of Assam has been ruined at this time, it should be discussed. Discussions should be on education, on how every district and village will get digital classrooms,” Rafiqul Islam said. Adding instead of that the BJP is discussing the ‘Miya Museum’.
“Every subdivision should have a library in which people can study,” Rafiqul Islam said further.
Hitting out at the Assam government, AIUDF MLA said that now after 50 years the branch of All India radio centre, Dibrugarh stopped broadcasting news in the Assamese language. The Assamese language has been abolished from the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) exam.
“Leaving these issues, BJP has fallen on the topic of Mia Museum’ including the chief minister himself,” he added.
Earlier today, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the state government will probe the matter.
Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sharma was against the Miya Museum and scolded the Miya Parishad for placing traditional equipment inside the museum claiming that the traditional equipment belongs to the people of Assam.
“I don’t understand what is this museum. The material which has been placed there belongs to the Assamese people except for Lungi (a piece of cloth). They have placed on Nangol (a tool used to plough land), fishing equipment there, but these traditional types of equipment have been used by our scheduled caste people for decades after decades. What is new in there except Lungi?” CM said. Adding that they (not only Miya Parishad, but people supporting it) will have to prove before the government that, the Nangol is only used by Miya people, not others.
While replying to CM’s statement AIUDF leader Rafiqul said, “I don’t think that there is nothing wrong with the museum.”
“If a community wants to preserve the traditional equipment which belongs to their ancestors, then it is not a crime,” he added.
Earlier in 2020, expelled Congress MLA Sherman Ali Ahmed sent a letter to the Director of the Museum and stated that one Museum reflecting the culture and heritage of the people living in Char-Chaporis of Assam on the premises of Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra, Guwahati was recommended by Departmentally Related Standing Committee on Education, 2020-21 in its 47th report on Art and Culture (Grant No. 27).
The people those are living in Char-Chaporis (riverine islands) of the river Brahmaputra mostly belonging to Bengali speaking Muslims and locally called them Miya.
Notably, the district administration on Tuesday sealed the Miya museum, inaugurated a few days back, citing that the museum was opened in a PMAY house.
Rajib Gogoi, Circle Officer of Goalpara district said that, as per the direction of the Deputy Commissioner of Goalpara district, we have sealed the PMAY-G house.
“The Miya Museum was opened in the PMAY house,” the Circle Officer said.
The Miya community in Assam comprises descendants of Muslim migrants from East Bengal (now Bangladesh) to Assam.
The riverine areas (island) of the river Brahmaputra, locally known as Char-Chapori cover about 3.60 lakh hectares of land and the chars follow a peculiar pattern of migration. (ANI)