India
oi-Prakash KL
Assam
Chief
Minister
Himanta
Biswa
Sarma
on
Friday
said
that
he
will
not
seek
the
votes
of
Muslims
and
will
not
do
“vote
bank
politics.”
“Right
now,
I
don’t
want
Muslim
votes.
All
problems
happen
because
of
vote
bank
politics…I
visit
a
Muslim
area
once
a
month,
attend
their
events
and
meet
people,
but
I
don’t
link
politics
with
development.
I
want
Muslims
to
realise
their
relationship
with
the
Congress
is
all
about
votes,”
NDTV
quoted
the
Assam
Chief
Minister
as
saying
in
an
interview.
He
claimed
that
he
would
develop
the
areas
of
Muslims
first
after
which
they
can
vote
for
him.
“Don’t
give
me
votes.
Let
me
develop
your
areas
in
the
next
10
years.
I
want
to
ensure
child
marriage
practice
ends,
stop
going
to
madrasas.
Go
to
colleges
instead.
I
am
going
to
inaugurate
seven
colleges
for
Muslim
daughters,
especially
girls,”
Sarma
added.
Sarma
indicated
that
the
BJP’s
relationship
with
Muslims
is
beyond
votes.
“The
Congress
did
not
build
infrastructure
or
schools
in
Muslim
areas.
But
I
want
to
develop
them.
I
will
do
this
for
10-15
years,
then
I
will
ask
for
votes
from
Muslims.
If
I
ask
for
votes
from
them
now,
it
will
become
a
give-and-take
relationship.
I
don’t
want
it
to
be
a
transactional
relationship,”
the
Chief
Minister
added.
Sarma
claimed
that
he
did
not
campaign
in
Muslim
areas
in
the
previous
election.
“In
2016
and
2020,
during
campaigning,
I
did
not
go
to
Muslim
areas.
I
had
said
I
would
go
only
after
winning
the
election.
Even
this
time
I
am
telling
them,
vote
for
whoever
you
want.
BJP
will
not
campaign
in
their
area,”
the
Assam
CM,
who
quit
Congress
in
2015
to
join
the
BJP
in
Congress,
added.
In
2016,
the
BJP
emerged
victorious
in
Assam
Assembly
polls
by
unseating
the
Congress’s
Tarun
Gogoi-led
government
that
had
held
power
for
three
consecutive
terms.
The
saffron
party’s
success
was
widely
attributed
to
Sarma’s
strategic
manoeuvres.
In
the
following
year,
despite
securing
fewer
seats
than
Congress,
the
BJP
managed
to
establish
a
government
in
Manipur.
