'Miya Bihu' singer arrested; won't tolerate attempt to transform our Bihu songs: Himanta

Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that a singer has been arrested for trying to popularise ‘Miya Bihu’, asserting that no Assamese person will tolerate any attempt to transform its traditional Bihu songs into something ‘very different’.

He underlined the need for a community, entering a new society, to assimilate and accept the “fundamental characteristics” of that society.

“Some people are trying to popularise ‘Miya Bihu’. One such singer, Altaf Hussain, has been arrested by the police today,” Sarma said in a post on Facebook late on Saturday night.

In a-2.27 minute clip of the original post shared by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) on X on Sunday, Sarma asserted that till the Assamese society sustains, it will do so with dignity.

“We will not tolerate any attack on our social system. And there should not be such attempts to attack us either,” he said.

Emphasising that a community must assimilate with the new society it becomes a part of, Sarma said, “We have to let go of certain things and hold on to some. But if we are more inclined to hold on rather than also letting go, then no community can assimilate in the new society.” “We should remember in every step that we have come to a society, we have to assimilate and to do that, we have to accept the fundamental characteristics of that society,” he added, without naming any community.

The CM maintained that no Assamese person will accept any attempt to present the culture, heritage, food, song, dance forms in a ‘very different way’.

“If our pride Bihu songs are transformed into ‘Miya Bihu’, which Assamese will accept it?” he questioned.

“I don’t know till when we will survive, but till the time we are here, we will not live with heads bowed. We will live with our heads held high, with dignity,” Sarma asserted, adding, “Hope people take this message in a positive manner.” ‘Miya’ is originally a pejorative term used for Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam and the non-Bengali speaking people generally identify them as Bangladeshi immigrants. In recent years, activists from the community have started adopting this term as a gesture of defiance.

Sarma had last week stated in the Assembly that he would take sides and won’t let “Miya Muslims take over” Assam, which had led to stiff objection from the opposition benches and an uproarious scene in the House.

He also claimed in the House that Hindus were facing problems in Miya Muslim majority areas of the state and are being forced to leave their native places.