Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday gave a curt reply to a journalist who cited Barack Obama's 'protecting Muslim minority in a majority Hindu India' comment asking if Assam police was on its way to Washington to arrest the former US President. The firebrand Chief Minister replied to this stating that there were plenty of 'Hussain Obama' in India and that the state prioritises taking care of them before considering going to Washington.
Rohini Singh from The Wire group had tweeted, "Has an FIR been filed in Guwahati yet against Obama for hurting sentiment? Is Assam police on it’s way to Washington to get Obama offloaded from some flight and arrest him?"
In a reply to the tweet Sarma wrote, "There are many Hussain Obama in India itself. We should prioritize taking care of them before considering going to Washington. The Assam police will act according to our own priorities."
Obama on PM Modi US visit
Former US President Barack Obama on Thursday made a reference to the rights of ethnic minorities in India during a media interview and said if these are not protected, there is a strong possibility of the country "at some point starts pulling apart".
Obama's made the remarks during an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour and said if President Joe Biden meets with PM Modi, "the protection of the Muslim minority in a majority Hindu India is something worth mentioning".
The remarks by the former US President came amid Prime Minister Narendra Modi's state visit to the United States, which is regarded as extremely significant by both sides amid growing strategic, technology and defence cooperation.
Bharatiya Janata Party Vice President Baijayant Jay Panda slammed Obama for his remarks and said it is preposterous to see the former US President "pander to the anti-India crowd, lecturing India in the same breath as China for its atrocities in Xinjiang".
Obama, who was asked a question relating to India and China, said he has worked with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Paris accords to deal with climate change.
(with agency inputs)
