From evictions to elections, ‘miya’ emerges as key flashpoint in Assam’s 2026 polls

Guwahati, Jan 27: The term “miya”, an Urdu honorific meaning “gentleman”, has become a major political flashpoint in Assam ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections, triggering sharp exchanges between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Opposition parties.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has repeatedly invoked the term while attacking the Congress, alleging a sharp rise in applications from candidates belonging to what he described as the “miya community”.

“There are over 700 applications for Congress candidates. They called it record-breaking, but they did not say it was record-breaking miya applications. Out of nearly 750, almost 600 are miya,” Sarma said recently.

He further claimed that only about 120 to 130 applications had come from members of the Hindu community, alleging a growing presence of “miya” candidates at the Congress headquarters in Rajiv Bhawan.

Defending eviction drives carried out by his government, Sarma maintained that action was taken only against alleged illegal encroachers. “Eviction happens only for miya. How can Assamese be evicted?” he said.

Addressing Republic Day celebrations in Dibrugarh on Monday, the Chief Minister alleged large-scale loss of land due to illegal occupation.

“Assam has lost 63% that is around 58 lakh bighas of land to foreigners illegally occupying our land. No government before the BJP initiated efforts to recover this land,” he said, adding that his government had taken a pledge in 2021 to prevent encroachment and protect Assam’s land.

Opposition leaders, however, have accused Sarma of deliberately communalising politics. Raijor Dal MLA Akhil Gogoi said the Chief Minister consistently frames political discourse around religion.

“Everywhere it is Hindu-Muslim. He keeps repeating ‘miya’. If they are illegal foreigners, drive them out. You have spent two terms in power,” Gogoi said, adding that decisive action, not rhetoric, was needed.

AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal dismissed the BJP’s rhetoric, claiming that Muslims in India feel secure.

“The Muslim population in India is safer than ever. The forest does not get emptied by one Himanta Biswa Sarma shouting, miya, miya. Let him do the ‘miya’ thing,” Ajmal said, urging Muslims not to vote for the BJP.

During an election campaign programme, Ajmal also appealed to the community to focus on education and professional success, saying that in the future no one should be able to use “miya” as a derogatory term. “Today, it is used as a cuss word,” he said.

Responding to Ajmal’s remarks, Sarma said they reinforced his concerns. “If Assamese people do not wake up, miya will enter Dispur within 10 years,” the Chief Minister said, calling on the Assamese community to remain alert.

Dibrugarh MLA Prasanta Phukan described Ajmal’s comments as a warning and urged people to remain vigilant, alleging that any such political shift would be detrimental to Assam’s interests.

Earlier, on January 25, Congress leader Debabrata Saikia said the party would approach the Election Commission of India (ECI) over Sarma’s alleged derogatory use of the term “miya”, arguing that such remarks could promote communal hatred during the election period.

In his Republic Day address, Sarma said around 1.2 lakh bighas of land had been freed from encroachers in recent years.

However, the Assam Governor, in his Republic Day speech, noted that of the 1.7 lakh people declared illegal foreigners in the state, only 467 have been repatriated to their respective countries so far, underscoring the complexity of the issue as it continues to shape Assam’s political narrative ahead of the polls.