Is Congress the ‘B-Team of Jamiat’ or Is BJP Manufacturing a New Rivalry?

A fresh confrontation has erupted between the Assam government and Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind (JUH), after Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma delivered a blistering attack on the organisation and its president Maulana Mahmood Madani, while JUH’s Working Committee passed a resolution seeking his removal and prosecution over alleged communal bias in the state’s eviction drives. The dispute has quickly spilled into party politics, with minister Pijush Hazarika hinting at a covert Congress–Jamiat alignment.

What the Chief Minister Said

Addressing supporters, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma framed JUH as both a political and cultural adversary, invoking symbolism, administrative history, and hardline policy claims:

“I am showing the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind a thumbs down officially, right now, In this thumb, there is Assamese blood, strength, and courage”

He personalised his critique around Maulana Mahmood Madani, recalling an episode from his tenure as Education Minister:

“This Madani, at one point when I was the Education minister, he didn't allow TET teachers to be appointed Working together with Tarun Gogoi, he would call our officers into the room and make them cry. Even today that officer is in Assam.”

Sarma cast JUH’s demand for his ouster as anti-democratic, insisting that political verdicts rest with Assam’s electorate:

“Today again they are saying that the Chief Minister of Assam must resign must be dismissed, the decision for that will be made by the people of Assam Madani cannot do it.”

He then escalated his rhetoric, conflating JUH’s position with anxiety over evictions, alleged changes to Aadhaar, and migration, while presenting his government’s actions as targeted governance:

“If I find Madani, I will send him to Bangladesh, Their frustration has become cleae after the recent eviction drive, and upon hearing the news that Aadhar cards are being discontinued, They want to devour Assam and Congress had allowed it to happen, But today, even if these are small steps, the people of Assam have built an embankment, local boys are getting govt jobs, indigenous people have the right to their land, The eviction, whoever needs to be evicted, is being evicted If someone needs to get Aadhar card, they are getting it If someone is identified as a Bangladeshi, they are being directly pushed back For these matters, naturally they are angry I have no objection”

Positioning JUH as politically irrelevant while also challenging Congress, he added:

“I compare the jamait ulema to my thumb I will only say one thing, I don't care about Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind Who else should I care about? Congress is the B team of Jamiat Today, if the Chief Minister of Assam is attacked, no matter which party the Chief Minister belongs to If Jamiat attacks even a Congress Chief Minister, we will protest Because the Chief Minister of Assam will be elected by the people of Assam, not by Jamiat But congress cannot even give a statement When semiconductor facility came to Jagiroad, Kharge Jr. objected Assam cong echoed his voice So the Congress that are here, they are the chieftains of unknown people They want to live with those unknown people They are not representatives of indigenous people”

Analytical read:
Sarma’s remarks pursue three goals: (1) delegitimise JUH’s agency in Assam’s political sphere; (2) reframe evictions and migration control as a defense of indigenous rights; and (3) push Congress into a corner by portraying it as beholden to JUH. The rhetoric is deliberately maximalist—mixing identity, law-and-order, and development (jobs, land rights, semiconductor facility)—to assert that his administration defines the terms of belonging in Assam.

Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind’s Resolution

The Working Committee of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind (JUH), chaired by its president Maulana Mahmood Madani, earlier on Thursday passed strong resolutions against the mass displacement of families in Assam and the continuing atrocities in Palestine.

The meeting, attended by members and special invitees from across India via Zoom, also finalized the framework for the Electoral Board to oversee JUH’s upcoming organizational elections.

Expressing “deep alarm” over eviction drives in Assam, the JUH said more than 50,000 families, all Muslims, have been rendered homeless in recent months. In a strongly worded resolution, the committee called upon constitutional authorities—including the President of India and the Chief Justice of India—to immediately remove Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and prosecute him under hate speech laws.

The resolution cited the Chief Minister’s reported remark,

“We are only evicting Miya Muslims,”

as “blatant proof of communal bias.” While clarifying that the JUH has always opposed illegal encroachments, the body alleged that the state’s eviction campaign is being conducted in an “inhumane and discriminatory” manner, violating both constitutional principles and Supreme Court guidelines.

The committee demanded alternative housing and rehabilitation for the displaced, impartial surveys before any eviction, and restraint on ministers and public officials from making “inflammatory” remarks.

Turning to international concerns, the JUH Working Committee condemned what it described as the “genocide” in Gaza. It said nearly 100,000 people have been killed, while millions face deliberate starvation due to Israel’s blockade and restrictions on humanitarian aid.

The resolution denounced the “Greater Israel” agenda and the announced annexation of Gaza as “colonial schemes” to erase Palestine. It urged the Arab world and the global community to act against Israeli aggression, safeguard holy sites, and compel Israel to open humanitarian corridors, allow unrestricted aid, and enforce an immediate ceasefire.

“The continued inaction of global powers only emboldens further crimes,” the resolution stated.

Political Fallout: BJP Ministers Target Congress

Reacting to this, Assam minister Pijush Hazarika reacted sharply to the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind and came up with something new. He stated on his X handle:

“On 27 July, @INCIndia leaders held talks with Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind in Delhi.
Today, Jamiat openly calls for defeating Hon'ble CM Dr @himantabiswa Dangoriya. Are they new alliance partners of @INCAssam ? Has @GauravGogoiAsm promised to share power with them ? What’s the deal ?”

Hazarika’s comments sought to project Congress as politically tied to Jamiat, hinting at a covert alliance against the Assam CM.

Ground Situation: Protests Across Assam

Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind’s resolution demanding the Chief Minister’s removal has ignited widespread protests across Assam. Several ethnic and student organisations erupted in anger on Saturday, staging demonstrations, burning effigies of Maulana Mahmood Madani, and calling for his arrest.

As per updates from various districts:

• In Dhemaji, the Tai-Ahom Yuba Parishad, All Tai Ahom Students’ Union, Bir Lachit Sena, All Assam Sonowal Kachari Students’ Union, All Assam Chutia Jati Students’ Union, All Assam SC Students’ Union, All Assam Gorkha Students’ Union, All Assam Koch Rajbongshi Students’ Union, and Nath Yogi Students’ Union jointly held protests. They demanded Madani’s arrest and burnt his effigy.

• At Gauhati University, the Students’ Society organised a protest in the Jalukbari campus. Similar agitations were reported from Kahilipara by Tai-Ahom Yuva Parishad, and in Amguri where the Asomiya Yuva Mancha staged demonstrations.

• Several groups accused Jamiat of siding with “encroachers” and interfering in Assam’s internal matters. They warned that Jamiat’s remarks could “spark communal unrest” in the state.

Significantly, protesters also raised demands for the ban of Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, arguing that its repeated “provocations” could destabilise Assam.

Conclusion

What began as a war of words between Himanta Biswa Sarma and Maulana Mahmood Madani has now spiralled into a multi-front confrontation—inside government, in opposition politics, and on the streets of Assam. While Sarma positions himself as the defender of indigenous rights and law enforcement, Jamiat frames the evictions as discriminatory and unconstitutional. Congress, pulled into the debate, faces questions about its proximity to Jamiat.

The growing protests by ethnic organisations demanding Madani’s arrest and even a ban on JUH suggest that the issue is no longer limited to political rhetoric—it has become a mass mobilisation flashpoint that could define Assam’s political climate in the weeks ahead.

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