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Himanta Biswa Sarma compared a local RJD candidate to Osama bin Laden during a Siwan rally, calling for such elements’ elimination and claiming India belongs to Ram-Sita; comments sparked controversy over communal tone and targeting of migrants and politicians.
Himanta Biswa Sarma compares RJD candidate to Osama Bin Laden
Siwan: On the final day of campaigning for the Bihar elections, Assam Chief Minister and BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma delivered a speech at a public meeting in Siwan in which, without naming him directly, he compared the local RJD candidate, Osama Shahab, to the terrorist Osama bin Laden.
He said that “all the Osamas in this country must be eliminated one by one” and that those who are against the country's core cultural symbols, Ram and Sita, will not be tolerated. In his speech, he also made allegations against Shahabuddin by name and spoke against giving voting rights to infiltrators.
Sarma began his speech by saying that his Hindi was a little weak, but he was speaking after seeking blessings from Maa Kamakhya of Assam and Mai of Bihar. He described the land of Raghunathpur as sacred, calling it the workplace of the country's first president, Dr. Rajendra Prasad.
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He then said that he had hoped to find "Ram-Sita" here, but people told him that there was also an "Osama" here. He targeted this "Osama," calling him "Chhota Osama," and said that it was necessary to eliminate such "Osamas" in this election.
Sarma named RJD candidate Osama Shahab's father, Mohammad Shahabuddin, saying that he had set a "Guinness World Record in murder." He warned that if such people were not stopped, they would spread throughout the entire country.
CM Himanta Biswa Sarma
Sarma also questioned the right of infiltrators to vote. Targeting Rahul Gandhi, he said that Gandhi had undertaken a yatra (march) for such people, but now such infiltrators have been removed from the Bihar voter list.
At the end of his speech, Sarma said that when the Hindu community of the country "wakes up," no "Osama" or "Aurangzeb" will be able to survive in the country. This statement was clearly seen as an attempt at political polarization in the name of religious unity.
Such statements create controversy for several reasons: Firstly, comparing a political opponent to a terrorist group like Al-Qaeda is considered character assassination. Secondly, using religious and cultural identity as an electoral weapon can increase social polarization.
Thirdly, language like "eliminate" can incite violence and is risky for public safety and peace. Furthermore, generalizing against alleged infiltrators and targeting entire communities is a sensitive issue from a constitutional and human rights perspective.
Such remarks could also be part of an electoral strategy; an attempt to sway voters by instilling fear and insecurity. On the other hand, opposition parties may portray this as political slander, communal profiling, and hate speech.
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In a democratic process, it is crucial that public discourse remain fact-based and measured; inflammatory language can unnecessarily poison the debate.
