Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma’s ‘Fertiliser Jihad’ Stokes Row, Opposition Says Remark Aimed At Bengali Muslims

In an apparent jibe at the Bengali Muslim population, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma coined a new phrase “fertiliser jihad”.

According to The Indian Express report, Sarma said his government had committed during the elections to “fight against fertiliser jihad”.

“There is so much power hidden in our soil and nature that if we learn to utilise that power, urea, phosphate, nitrate, etc will not be required. When we started our government in Assam, at that time we had said one thing on the public stage, that the uncontrolled use of fertilizers for growing various food materials in our state is causing illnesses of the kidney, heart, etc,”the report Sarma as having said.

It mentioned the Opposition was quick to note that Sarma’s remarks seemed directed at Bengali Muslims, who comprise a big proportion of vegetable farmers in the state.

It is not the first time the BJP leader brought up “fertiliser jihad” in reference to farming, the report said.

While campaigning for the 2021 Assembly elections, when he was the Health Minister in Sarbananda Sonowal’s government, he said Assam was under “chemical and biological attack” from “a section of people who live in Kharupetia and Dalgaon”, it mentioned.

The region he referred to, located in Darrang district, is dominated by Muslims of Bengali origin and is one of the biggest hubs of vegetable growers in the state, supplying vegetables to other parts, including Guwahati, the report said.

“People of Jorhat, Sivasagar and other Upper Assam districts are dependent on vegetables from Kharupetia and Dalgaon. But those farmers use dangerous chemicals for quick production and preservation of vegetables,” Sarma said.