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The political landscape in India continues to be charged with tensions as a recent statement by Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav sparked a fresh wave of controversy. Yadav, in a tweet, labeled Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma as the "Chinese version of Yogi," referring to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. This comment, aimed at criticizing Sarma's decision to abolish the two-hour break on Fridays for Muslim legislators to offer Namaz in the Assam Assembly, has been met with sharp condemnation from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who have accused Yadav of harboring a racist mentality.
BJP leaders were swift in their response, highlighting what they perceived as a pattern of racist remarks from the INDIA bloc. Shehzad Poonawalla, a BJP spokesperson, drew parallels between Yadav's comments and those previously made by India Overseas Congress Chairman Sam Pitroda, claiming that Pitroda's influence has permeated Yadav's mindset. Poonawalla went on to question whether Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Congress party, and Gaurav Gogoi, a prominent member of the INDIA bloc, endorse Yadav's remarks and whether they would sever ties with the RJD due to the "unconstitutional, anti-Bharat Jodo, racist and hateful comments." This escalation of rhetoric further highlights the deep-seated political divisions and the acrimonious nature of the current political discourse.
Further fueling the fire, BJP leaders Rajeev Chandrasekhar and N Biren Singh joined the chorus of condemnation. Chandrasekhar, a former Union Minister, labeled Yadav as "another student of Congress tutor Sam Pitroda," implying that the Congress party is fostering a culture of racism within the INDIA bloc. Singh, the Chief Minister of Manipur, went even further, calling Yadav an "ignorant racist who has no information about the history and geography of our country." He emphasized that the people of the Northeast are as Indian as any other region and condemned the alleged racism of the INDIA bloc towards the Northeast.
The controversy surrounding Yadav's remarks arose after the Assam government's decision to abolish the two-hour break on Fridays for Muslim legislators. This practice, initiated by the Muslim League's Syed Saadulla in 1937, was seen by the Assam government as a colonial vestige and a hindrance to productivity. While the BJP views this as a necessary reform, the RJD and other opposition parties have interpreted it as a move to target and harass Muslims. This disagreement over the Namaz break further underscores the deep divisions within Indian society on matters of religion and cultural identity.
Source: Tejashwi Yadav Calls Himanta Sarma 'Chinese Version Of Yogi', BJP Slams RJD’s ‘Racist Mentality’