‘Will put behind bars’: Himanta Sarma warns Muslim leader

Hojai/Assam: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday warned All India Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind President Mahmood Asad Madani, who visited the evicted sites in Goalpara district, that he would be arrested if the Islamic scholar "crosses his limits". A day ago, Madani had accused the state BJP government of targeting 50,000 Muslim families in the name of eviction, PTI reported.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an official function here, Sarma said neither he nor the BJP is scared of Madani and claimed that the religious leader gets prominence only during Congress rule.

"Who is Madani? Is he a God? Madani's bravado is only during Congress, not with the BJP. If he crosses his limits, I will put him behind bars. I am the CM, not Madani. I am not scared of Madani," he said.

After visiting the eviction locations in Goalpara on Monday, Madani addressed a press conference on Tuesday and demanded that eviction drives being carried out by the Assam government should follow the rules laid down by the Supreme Court.

Commenting on his visit, Sarma said, "I allowed him to go and see for himself how much worse it can happen if someone encroaches on land. Now, he won't tell others to encroach on land. Because they will be scared only if these leaders witness the scene." He further asserted that Madani and the alleged encroachers know the BJP well now and that the ruling party does not fear anybody.

"If unknown people stay in the forest, Village Grazing Reserve (VGR) and Professional Grazing Reserve (PGR), then eviction will definitely take place. Now, they know what I am.

"Madani is a valueless topic. Their value is only during the Congress," the CM said.