On ‘Chinese version of Yogi’ remark, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma says ‘Our work will not stop...’

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Sunday, “Our work is to keep going forward” as he reacted to Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav calling him “Chinese version of Yogi”.

“Our work will not stop based on comments of people. Our work is to keep going forward,” Sarma said on Saturday.

'Chinese version of Yogi' remark

Earlier, Tejashwi Yadav had taken a dig at Sarma over the Assam Assembly scrapping the two-hour break for Jumma prayers. He said the Assam Chief Ministers wants to “gain cheap popularity and become the ‘Chinese version of Yogi.’”

Yadav said in a post on X on August 30, “...the Chief Minister of Assam deliberately keeps doing acts that harass Muslims. The leaders of the BJP have made Muslim brothers a soft target to spread hatred, attract the attention of Modi-Shah and polarize the society.”

While speaking with the news agency ANI on Saturday, Tejashwi Yadav said reiterated his “Chinese version” dig and said, "Assam Chief Minister [Himanta Biswa Sarma] wants cheap publicity and wants to remain in the news. I had tweeted yesterday as well that he is the Chinese replica of Yogi Adityanath.”

“He [Biswa] wants the situation to deteriorate. Yogi Adityanath is using bulldozers and he (Assam CM) is stopping namaz, the country belongs to everyone...," Yadav said.

Himanta Biswa Sarma ‘surprised’

Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma defended the state assembly's decision to end the 2-hour break for Jumma prayers, saying that no other state assembly in India has a similar break.

"The decision to end the Jumma break in Assam was also supported by the Congress. There is no such break in Bihar or any other state assembly in the country. I am surprised that people outside Assam are opposing it without thinking," CM Himanta said in a post on X.

On Friday, the Assam Assembly ended the practice of a 2-hour adjournment for Jumma Prayers that were held every Friday.

According to the previous rule, the sitting of the Assembly on Friday used to be adjourned at 11 am to facilitate Muslim members to go for namaaz, but, as per the new rule, the Assembly will conduct its proceedings without any adjournment for religious purposes.

As per the amended rule, the Assam Assembly will commence its proceedings at 9.30 am every day, including Fridays. The order stated that the amendment was done to scrap the colonial practice, which aimed at dividing society on a religious basis.