Guwahati (Assam) [India], August 26 : Assam Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Piyush Hazarika on Tuesday defended the disruption of an event in Delhi attended by former Planning Commission member Syeda Hameed, who has come under fire for her remarks on Bangladeshis.
A group of people, including members of the Hindu Sena, stormed the venue of the event, carrying placards and chanting slogans such as "Bharat Mata ki Jai," "Jai Shri Ram," and "Bangladeshiyon ko bahar nikalo," and so on, forcing a brief commotion. Former IAS officer Harsh Mander was also present at the event, organised at the Constitution Club of India by a "People's Tribunal" on Assam.
Hazarika, in a post on X, labelled Syeda Hameed and Harsh Mander as Congress "loyalists" and "sympathisers" of Bangladeshi migrants. He alleged they were part of an ecosystem that sought to "change the demography of Assam by legitimising infiltrators."
"Heartening to see our Sanatani and Nationalist friends in Delhi standing up to INC Assam loyalists and Bangladeshi sympathisers like Syeda Hameed and Harsh Mandar. They are the very Cong ecosystem that is out to change the demography of Assam by legitimising infiltrators," Hazarika wrote.
Hameed's remarks, made earlier in a video, had triggered the controversy.
In the viral video, Hameed is heard saying, "What is wrong with being Bangladeshi? Bangladeshis are humans too, and the world is so big; they can live here (in India). They are not depriving anyone of their rights. Saying that they are depriving someone of their rights is troublesome, extremely mischievous and detrimental to humanity."
Earlier on Monday, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju sharply criticised Syeda Hameed over her remarks.
In a post on X, Rijiju shared her video and captioned, "Misleading in the name of humanity. It's about our land and identity. Why the minority Buddhists, Christians, Hindus & Sikhs in Bangladesh and Pakistan are persecuted & tortured? Sayeda Hameed may be closest to Sonia Gandhi & Rahul Gandhi, but shouldn't support illegal migrants."
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also hit out at Hameed over her remarks, accusing her of legitimising illegal infiltrators in the state.
"People like Syeda Hameed, a close confidant of the Gandhi family, legitimise illegal infiltrators, as they seek to realise Jinnah's dream of making Assam a part of Pakistan. Today, Assamese identity is on the brink of extinction because of the tacit support of people like her. But we are the sons and daughters of Lachit Barphukan, WE WILL FIGHT till the last drop of our blood to save our State and our identity," Sarma wrote in a post on X. "Let me make it very clear, Bangladeshis are not welcome in Assam, it is not their land. Anyone sympathising with them may accommodate them in their own backyards. Assam is not up for grabs by illegal infiltrators, NOT NOW, NOT EVER," he added.
Her remarks that went viral on social media on Sunday have drawn sharp criticism.
Responding to the ruckus created by the protesters on Tuesday, Syeda Hameed said that there was a need to remain conscious while fearing the spread of such a crowd, causing disruptions.
"A crowd had entered here. I was a small kid at the time of the partition, but the intensity of that crowd (that entered the venue)... Constitution Club is such a dignified setting, and then a crowd suddenly burst in, giving me a flashback of what my parents and others experienced in Panipat during the partition. I fear that this will spread to the whole of India. That is something which we have to be very conscious of," Hameed later said while addressing a press conference.