Ajit Bhuyan distances civic meet from Hameed’s remark, CM questions her presence

Guwahati, Aug 26: Rajya Sabha member Ajit Kumar Bhuyan has clarified that the civic meeting held in Guwahati on August 24 had no connection with the controversial remarks made by former Planning Commission member, Syeda Hameed.

Bhuyan said a delegation, comprising Prashant Bhushan, Jawhar Sircar, Harsh Mander and Syeda Hameed, had visited Assam independently to study the situation and "were not invited by them". 

According to Bhuyan, the team was initially restricted from visiting Goalpara so they travelled to two or three other places. He added that the public interaction in Guwahati was organised after Bhushan expressed a wish to engage with citizens. 

"Prashant Bhushan expressed his wish to interact with the public, so we organised a meeting where all of them spoke", Bhuyan said. 

However, he stressed that the uproar across Assam was triggerred by a single remark made by Hameed, while their speeches didn't gain any traction. 

"It was not their lectures by one particular remark by Syeda Hameed that triggered an uproar across Assam", Bhuyan clarified. 

"We only came to know of her remarks later that night. We then discussed the matter and issued a clarification", he said, adding that the responsibility of such remarks lay with the individuals themselves. 

"The statements made during the meeting and the personal opinions expressed afterwards are the responsibility of the individuals, not ours", Bhuyan said. 

Bhuyan said that the narrative linking the participants of the civic meeting with Hameed’s statement was “unfortunate and misleading”.

He stressed that discussions inside the meeting had focused on the Assam Accord and the accepted base year of 1971, and that organisers or participants "should not be held responsible" for comments made outside by individuals in their personal capacity.

“No celebrity was invited to the meeting; those who came, did so on their own initiative to understand the situation in Assam. The Assam Accord and 1971 as the base year are beyond dispute, and we stand firmly by that,” Bhuyan clarified.

Responding to the row, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma questioned Hameed’s remarks and her presence at the meeting.

“Who invited this woman? If it is wrong to invite her, did Ajit Bhuyan apologise? BJP cannot be blamed because the lady herself is not denying what she said. She stated that even if people are Bangladeshis, they should be rehabilitated,” Sarma said, on the sidelines of a campaign meeting at Parbatjhora in Kokrajhar, on Tuesday.

Sarma further warned that “whoever supports people like this will be the first to face the brunt”, reiterating that eviction drives in Assam will continue against illegal encroachers.

Hameed sparked controversy on Sunday by telling the press there was “no harm” if Bangladeshis stayed in Assam.

She made the remark after a meeting convened by the Axom Nagarik Sanmilan in Guwahati, though organisers, including Bhuyan, clarified that her statement did not reflect the agenda or outcome of the discussions.