"Perhaps they blame their 'personal' failures on Miya bhai as well," Mr Owaisi said. (file)
Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday night taunted Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for blaming the soaring prices of vegetables on Muslim vendors. Perhaps they blame their personal failures on "Miya bhai" as well, he said.
Mr Sarma stirred a huge controversy earlier on Friday by claiming Muslim vegetable sellers are jacking up vegetable prices, and if "Assamese people" sold vegetables, they would've never charged "their Assamese people" more.
"Who are the people who have increased the price of vegetables so much? They are Miya traders, who are selling vegetables at a higher price," Mr Sarma reportedly said.
'Miya', in local parlance, refers to Bengali-speaking Muslims who live in Assam but are believed to have originally migrated from Bangladesh. The Assam Chief Minister has often chastised the Miya community for being "very communal", as reported by The Indian Express in February 2021. He has even suggested they are 'outsiders', accusing them of trying to distort Assamese culture and language.
"Miya traders are charging high prices for vegetables from Assamese people in Guwahati, while the price of vegetables is low in the villages. If Assamese traders were selling vegetables today, they would never have charged more from their Assamese people," he added, according to a BBC report.
Mr Owaisi, President of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), hit back with a sharp retort.
"There is such a mandali (group) in the country who will blame Miya ji even when the buffalo does not give milk or the hen does not lay eggs in their house. Perhaps they blame their 'personal' failures on Miya bhai as well," he said.
The AIMIM chief also took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying there's deep friendship going on between the PM and foreign Muslims.
"Manage by asking them for tomatoes, spinach, potatoes etc." he quipped, referring to PM's recent visits to Muslim-majority countries.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Abu Dhabi today on a day-long visit to the UAE, during which he will meet UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and review the burgeoning bilateral ties between the two strategic partners.
India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) chief Badruddin Ajmal on Saturday accused Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of trying to separate Assamese Muslims from the youth with his remarks on the rising prices of vegetables in the state.
Speaking to media persons at Garigaon in Guwahati, the AIUDF chief claimed that Assam Chief Minister Sarma's statement that "Miya" (Muslim) vendors were responsible for the price rise of vegetables in the city was demeaning and hurtful towards the minority community.
"The CM said people from the Miya community will not be allowed to sell vegetables and spices in Guwahati. This kind of statement isn't appropriate for the chief minister of a state. He is the head of the state, and it isn't right for him to be making such remarks. We are disheartened by the CM's remarks," Ajmal, also a perfume baron, said.
The AIUDF chief alleged further that Sarma's statement creates a chasm between the Muslims and the other Asamese people, including the youth.