On August 23, 2025, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma dismissed calls by the Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind (JUH) for his resignation, stating that if he had the authority, he would “send [Mahmood] Madani to Bangladesh.” This remark was made in response to a JUH resolution urging constitutional action against the CM over controversial eviction drives targeting largely Bengali-origin Muslim families (The Times of India, Deccan Herald).
Sarma further declared, “I don’t care what they demand,” while making a symbolic thumbs-down gesture, saying it represented Assamese “blood, strength, and courage.” He accused the JUH and the Congress party of having aligned interests and stated that the mandate lies with the people of Assam—not the JUH (The Times of India, Deccan Herald).
Backdrop & Broader Context
- The Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind’s working committee, led by Maulana Mahmood Madani, condemned the eviction drives—asserting that they have left over 50,000 families homeless and urging action under hate-speech laws (The Times of India).
- The eviction operations, defended by CM Sarma as necessary anti-encroachment efforts, have dismantled around 160 sq km of land encroachments since May 2021. Critics argue these disproportionately targeted vulnerable Muslim communities in flood-prone zones, with many residents living there for decades following displacement from river erosion (The Times of India).
- A JUH delegation assessed the eviction impacts firsthand in lower Assam, setting up temporary shelters and issuing a memorandum to the CM urging rehousing for displaced families (The Times of India).
