Opposition Fumes Over Himanta Sarma's "Many Hussain Obama In India" Remark

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday claimed that there are many “Hussain Obama in India” and his priority will be in dealing with them, reacting to a social media post speculating if Assam police will go to arrest former US president Barack Obama over his remarks on the alleged vulnerability of minorities in India. His remark has drawn opposition flak with leaders asking if he was "disregarding" statements made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the US.

"There are many Hussain Obama in India itself. We should prioritize taking care of them before considering going to Washington. The Assam police will act according to our own priorities," the BJP leader wrote on Twitter, sharing a post by a prominent journalist.

Congres spokesperson Supriya Shrinate condemned his remark and asked, "What is the PM, MEA and Government of India's stand on this?"

The tweet by the journalist had asked if the Assam police will go to the US to arrest the former US president. "Has an FIR been filed in Guwahati yet against Obama for hurting sentiment? Is Assam police on its way to Washington to get Obama offloaded from some flight and arrest him?" the journalist wrote.

The tweet was apparently referring to FIRs being lodged in Assam against opposition leaders over their remarks in different parts of the country.

Assam police had travelled to different locations and even made arrests, including deplaning and apprehending Congress leader Pawan Khera in February and arresting then-Independent Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani last year.

The NCP has termed Mr Sarma's comment as distasteful and that it undermines PM Modi's assertion during the US visit that there is no religion-based discrimination in India. "Either he (Mr Sarma) did not listen to our PM Narendra Modi ji's statement made in the US, or he is disrespectfully disregarding what he said," said Nationalist Congress Party spokesperson Clyde Crasto.

Obama in an interview to CNN on Thursday had said that India may “pull apart” if the rights of the religious and ethnic minorities are not upheld.

“If the (US) President meets with Prime Minister Modi, then the protection of the Muslim minority in a Hindu majority India is worth mentioning. If I had a conversation with Prime Minister Modi, who I know well, part of my argument would be that if you don't protect the rights of ethnic minorities in India, there is a strong possibility that India would at some point start pulling apart,” Obama had said.

Asserting that democracy is "in our spirit...and flows in our veins", PM Modi on Thursday said there is no question of discrimination in India on the grounds of caste or religion because his government follows the Constitution, which is formed on the basic values of democracy.