CM Himanta’s ‘Hussain Obama’ Remark Sparks Fresh Row: ‘Answered What Modi Was Asked’

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday stirred a controversy with his claim that his government’s priority will be to deal with many “Hussain Obama in India”. Sharma was Reacting to a social media post speculating if Assam police will go to the US to arrest former president Barack Obama over his remarks on the alleged vulnerability of minorities in India.

“There are many Hussain Obama in India itself. We should prioritize taking care of them before considering going to Washington. The Assam police will act according to our own priorities,” the BJP leader wrote on Twitter, in response to a post by a prominent journalist who asked if the Assam police will go to the US to apprehend the former US president.

Assam CM’s remark triggered a political slugfest, with Opposition leaders asking if he was “disregarding” Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement over the issue during his recently concluded US state visit.

Opposition Demands Apology

Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate condemned Assam CM’s remark and asked what is the Prime Minister, Ministry of External Affairs and Government of India’s stand on the matter.

“‘My friend Barack’ is now Hussain Obama! Actually, Himanta has answered what PM Modi was asked at White House. His insinuation – about President Obama being a muslim and Indian Muslims need to be taught a lesson – was the question’s premise. What is the PM, MEA and Govt of India’s stand on this?” she tweeted.

Meanwhile, NCP called Sarma’s comment “distasteful” and asked him to apologise.

Nationalist Congress Party spokesperson Clyde Crasto said Assam CM should apologise so that the world believes PM Modi’s comments no religious discrimination by his government.

“Either he [Sarma] did not listen to our PM Narendra Modi ji’s statement made in the US, or he is disrespectfully disregarding what he said,” he said.

TMC leader Saket Gokhale also criticised Sarma’s remark and said Assam CM has exposed “the hypocrisy and lies of PM Modi on the international stage”.

What Was The Issue

“Has an FIR been filed in Guwahati yet against Obama for hurting sentiment? Is Assam police on its way to Washington to get Obama offloaded from some flight and arrest him?” the journalist wrote. The tweet was apparently referring to FIRs being lodged in Assam against opposition leaders over their remarks in different parts of the country.

Assam police had travelled to different locations and even made arrests, including deplaning and apprehending Congress leader Pawan Khera in February and arresting then-Independent Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani last year.

What Barak Obama Said

Obama in an interview to CNN on Thursday had said that India may pull apart if the rights of the religious and ethnic minorities are not upheld.

“If the (US) President meets with Prime Minister Modi, then the protection of the Muslim minority in a Hindu-majority India is worth mentioning. If I had a conversation with Prime Minister Modi, who I know well, part of my argument would be that if you don’t protect the rights of ethnic minorities in India, there is a strong possibility that India would at some point start pulling apart,” Obama had said.