BJP allies attack Himanta over ending namaz break in assembly

Guwahati: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is facing flak from allies and foes of BJP alike after the state assembly discontinued an age-old practice of a two-hour Friday namaz break for Muslim MLAs.
While RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said Sarma is trying to become the "Chinese version of Yogi" by “doing acts that harass Muslims,” BJP’s key ally, Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United) called it an “interference in religious matters.”
Sarma expressed surprise over people outside Assam reacting to decisions taken in the state assembly without giving any thoughts.
“Tejashwi Yadav is criticising me, but I want to ask him…is there any such practice in Bihar? You (Yadav) should have implemented a four-hour break when you were deputy chief minister of Bihar. Practice it first before preaching,” Sarma said.
“I will re-implement the two-hour Jumma break, if those who are advising me first put into practice a four-hour break in their respective states,” Sarma said.
He said excluding Assam assembly, there is no provision of such practice of the British legacy from 1937, anywhere, including in Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha.
“Doing away with the two-hour Jumma break was not a chief minister’s decision, but the decision of all Hindu and Muslim legislators,” Sarma added.