A Hindu cannot be a Jinnah : Himanta

Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday speaking for the Citizenship Amendment Act and granting of the status to Hindus from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan told the Assembly that a person from the community "cannot be a Jinnah as he never attacks anyone" and are secular.

He also supported granting of citizenship to Hindu Bengalis, which is being vehemently protested against by various outfits.

Speaking in support of granting citizenship to Hindus, Sarma, who is also the chief of NEDA, BJP'S version of the NDA in the north east, said "A Hindu cannot be a Jinnah. Not a single Hindu king has destroyed a mosque or a temple. A Hindu is always secular and does not attack anyone. Hindus are secular".

Former chief minister Tarun Gogoi had on January 6 called Prime Minister Narendra Modi India's "Hindu Jinnah" and accused him of following the "two-nation theory" of the Pakistan founder to divide the nation on the basis of religion.

Sarma, who was speaking during the debate on the governor's address in the one-day special session of Assam Assembly, said the amended Citizenship Act will not violate the Assam Accord.

The four-page Assam Accord did not mention anything about Hindu immigrants persecuted in Bangladesh.

"In Assam Accord many things were left unresolved.... We have not violated the Assam Accord, but are addressing unresolved issues," the senior BJP leader said and sought a House panel to study the historic document in detail.

Sarma said the Assam government will take the responsibility if more than five lakh people were benefitted by the CAA.

"I'll leave politics of one person more than five lakh get citizenship under CAA," he said.

He expressed concern over alleged rising Muslim population in Assam and said that "Ajmal Badruddin (AIDUF chief) or his son or his grandson will be the state chief minister after 30 years. No one can stop it".