Guwahati, Jul 14 (IANS): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has blamed the ‘Miya’ Muslim community for the inflated price of vegetables in the state.

“The vegetable rates are lower in the rural areas; however, the prices are increased when they are brought to the urban places,” he said. The Chief Minister claimed that all the sellers have been increasing the rates and most of them are “Miya” people.

“They (East Bengal origin Muslims) have been taking high prices from the Assamese people. In Guwahati, ‘Miya’ people have taken control of the local vegetable markets,” Sarma said on Thursday evening, adding that if an Assamese youth would have been selling the vegetables, he could not take inflated prices from other Assamese fellow citizens.

“I urge the Assamese youths to come forward and I assure you that I would drive away all the ‘Miya’ Muslim vegetable sellers from the city,” Sarma said.

He further said that starting from cab to bus services, a majority of people are now this section (Miya) of Muslim people in Assam.

Miya Muslims are descendants of migrant Bengali Muslims who lived in the Brahmaputra Valley during the British colonialism of Assam in the 20th century.

These migrants came from the divisions of Mymensingh, Rangpur, and Rajshahi in present-day Bangladesh.

The Chief Minister said that: “We have seen on the recent Eid, most of the roads in Guwahati were vacant as they were celebrating the festival and were absent from work.”

Chief Minister’s remarks came after the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) Chief Badruddin Ajmal said that the Assamese community is incomplete without the Muslim people.

“Miya Muslims and Assamese people are like brothers. The state can not exist without the Muslim community,” Ajmal said.

Assam has been witnessing a steep hike in the vegetable prices for the last few days across the state which has irked the general public with many questioning the government as there is no respite from the price rise.