‘Our work will not stop…’: Himanta Sarma on Tejashwi Yadav's ‘Chinese version’ barb

The Assam CM is facing criticism from parties opposed to the BJP over the Assam assembly's move to discontinue two-hour Friday namaz break for Muslim members.

Criticised by opposition parties over the Assam assembly's move to discontinue two-hour Friday namaz break for its Muslim members, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday remarked that ‘comments from people’ will not make his government stop its work.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav (left) has hit out at Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, accusing him of seeking cheap popularity by targeting Muslims.

“Our work will not stop based on the comments of people. Our work is to keep going forward,” the BJP leader was quoted as saying by ANI.

RJD's Tejashwi Yadav, ex-deputy CM of Bihar, has been particularly scathing towards Sarma on the namaz issue.

On Friday, he called the latter a ‘Chinese version of Yogi,’ in a veiled reference to Yogi Adityanath, who leads the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh.

Earlier, he accused Sarma of ‘seeking cheap popularity to remain in the news.’

“While, Yogi Adityanath is using bulldozers, the Assam CM is stopping namaz…the country belongs to everyone. There should be peace but these people (BJP) are only spreading hatred,” the RJD member said to ANI.

Meanwhile, the party's Manoj Jha defended Tejashwi, attacked by the BJP for the ‘Chinese version’ barb.

“When we say that something is a ‘Chinese maal’, we mean that it is not durable. This was said in the context of dog-whistle politics, the politics of polarisation,” Jha stated.

Jha also pointed to alleged anti-Muslim statements made by prime minister Narendra Modi during the Lok Sabha elections, held earlier this year.

“As far as the dignity of words is concerned, where do you place ‘bhains’, ‘mangalsutra’ and ‘mujra’?” he asked without naming the prime minister.