Opposition parties in Assam have criticised Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for blaming the state’s Bengali-origin Muslims for rising vegetable prices, saying that his remarks aim to create a communal divide, PTI reported.

On July 13, Sarma alleged that the Miyas, as the Bengal-origin Muslim community is often called in Assam, charge more prices for vegetables in Guwahati compared to Assamese traders.

“In general, the price of vegetables in villages is less,” Sarma had said. “But the price increases when the vegetables are sold in Guwahati by Miya traders. Had there been Assamese traders, they would not have charged such a higher rate from their own people.”

He had also advised Assamese youth to work hard and give strong competition to Miyas in businesses.

On Sunday, All India United Democratic Front chief Badruddin Ajmal said that Sarma’s statement has hurt the Miya community and that such words are unbecoming of a chief minister.

“This is creating a communal divide,” Ajmal said, according to PTI. “ If it [the chief minister’s statement] triggers any incident, the government and Himanta Biswa Sarma will be responsible for it.”

Raijor Dal president and MLA Akhil Gogoi said that such statements are made to take away people’s attention from important issues, according to PTI.

“There are three main reasons for such communal politics,” he said. “The BJP wants to divert attention from the draft delimitation proposal as the opposition has been able to lay bare before the people that the document doesn’t espouse the cause of the indigenous people.”

The Congress, however, claimed that both Sarma and Ajmal are creating a “Miya-Assamese controversy” to create a communal divide in the state, reported PTI.

“As elections are coming closer, both of them want to divide the people along religious lines,” Assam Congress president Bhupen Kumar Borah said. “BJP has failed to address core issues like unemployment, price rise, illegal migrants, etc. and to divert attention, they are indulging in such tactics.”