The Assam Assembly descended into chaos on Wednesday as members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition engaged in heated exchanges over the use of two controversial terms, prompting the Speaker to adjourn the proceedings briefly.
The uproar began during Question Hour when Baghbor MLA Sherman Ali Ahmed, who is currently under suspension from the Congress, raised concerns regarding the functioning of the sub-divisional agricultural office in Alopati, Barpeta district.
In the course of his remarks, Ahmed compared what he described as "misleading replies" from officials to a particular term, which immediately sparked objections from BJP MLA Rupjyoti Kurmi.
Speaker Biswajit Daimary promptly expunged the word from the records following Kurmi’s protest.
However, once Question Hour concluded, Kurmi reignited the issue, questioning whether Ahmed had used the term due to his affiliation with a specific community.
While doing so, Kurmi himself employed a pejorative reference commonly used for Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam, which provoked a strong reaction from the opposition.
Also read: Uproar in Assam assembly over 'Miya' remark by BJP leader
MLAs from the Congress, the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), the Communist Party of India (Marxist), and the Raijor Dal vehemently objected and demanded an apology from Kurmi.
Speaker Daimary immediately ordered that Kurmi’s remark be expunged from the records, but this did little to pacify the opposition, which continued to demand disciplinary action.
As the protests escalated, the Speaker was forced to adjourn the House for 15 minutes.
Upon reassembly, Ahmed reiterated his demand for an apology, stating, "It’s a racial word. How can an MLA use such a word to target an entire community? This should be reprimanded."
Leader of the Opposition and senior Congress MLA Debabrata Saikia joined the demand, condemning the remark and pressing for immediate action.
Despite continued protests from the opposition benches, Deputy Speaker Numal Momin intervened, expunging all mentions of the two controversial terms from the official records, which eventually restored order in the House.
Follow us
