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Syeda Hameed's ‘cuss word’ comment after row over ‘Bangladeshis in Assam’ remarks
Syeda Hameed responds to backlash over her comments on Bangladeshis in Assam. Assam's chief minister criticises her for legitimising infiltrators.
Former Planning Commission member and activist Syeda Hameed has reacted to criticism and protests over her recent remarks on Bangladeshis in Assam. Her reaction comes after Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma accused her of legitimising infiltrators.
In a video clip from the seminar that has since circulated online, Syeda Hameed had expressed concern over the treatment meted out to Muslims in Assam, saying that they are often labelled as Bangladeshis.
She was heard saying, “What is the crime in being a Bangladeshi? Bangladeshis are also humans. The world is so big. Bangladeshis can also live here, they are not depriving anyone of their rights.”
On Tuesday, a group of Hindu Sena activists held a protest against Syeda Hameed's recent remarks, alleging that she was defending Bangladeshi infiltrators in Assam.
The protest took place at the Constitutional Club of Delhi, where Hameed had attended a seminar on "The State of the Nation with Special Reference to Assam", organised by citizens' forum Asom Nagarik Sanmilan on Sunday.
She said the world was created for humans, not for "monsters," and questioned why people should be uprooted in such a manner, an apparent reference to the anti-encroachment drive launched by the Assam administration against illegal Bangladeshis.
Police said around 10 protesters had gathered outside the venue carrying placards with slogans "in support of Assam's culture and identity".
"The protesters were promptly removed from the spot," a senior police officer said.
Placards carried messages such as "Hemant ji ka ik hi sapna, ghuspaithiyon se mukt ho Assam apna" and "Assam ki sanskriti, Assam ka shaan, nahi hone denge koi nuksaan."
Earlier on Monday, Himanta Biswa Sarma criticised Hameed for her remark that “Bangladeshis can live here”, asserting that such statements legitimise infiltrators and seek to “realise Jinnah's dream of making Assam a part of Pakistan”.
Sarma claimed that the identity of the Assamese people is on the brink of extinction due to the tacit support of the likes of Hameed, whom he described as a close confidante of the Gandhi family.
He emphasised that it is a ‘dangerous time’ for the state and all have to unite to secure it.
Sharing a clip of Hameed's remarks after a meeting in Guwahati on Sunday, Sarma said in a post on X, "People like Syeda Hameed, a close confidante of the Gandhi family, legitimise infiltrators, as they seek to realise Jinnah's dream of making Assam a part of Pakistan."
"Today, Assamese identity is on the brink of extinction because of the tacit support of people like her. But we are the sons and daughters of Lachit Barphukan, WE WILL FIGHT till the last drop of our blood to save our State and our identity," he added, referring to the legendary Ahom general.
Sarma asserted that "Bangladeshis are not welcome in Assam, it is not their land".
"Anyone sympathising with them may accommodate them in their own backyard. Assam is not up for grabs by infiltrators, NOT NOW, NOT EVER," the chief minister added.
Along with Hameed's comments, Sarma also shared her photographs with former PM Manmohan Singh and ex-Assam CM Tarun Gogoi at different forums.
At the seminar in the national capital on Tuesday, Hameed said. “I have the most beautiful experience of Assam... I have been to every nook and corner of Assam. But I was never conscious of the fact that I am a Muslim and a woman... Right now, suddenly, my name is all over India... Bangladeshi has become a cuss word now. It has become a horrendous word now. Even if a few Bangladeshis have come in, sit down and negotiate with them, and escort them back,” she said.
