Indian politician Himanta Biswa Sarma lashed out at former U.S. president Barack Obama in a tweet Friday, saying Indian police “should prioritize taking care of” the many “Hussain Obama” in India — a pointed reference to the country’s Muslim population.
Sarma serves as chief minister of Assam, a northeastern state in India with one of the highest concentrations of Muslims, and is a rising star in Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party , which has been criticized for its Hindu nationalist platform, mistreatment of Muslim minority rights and declining press freedom.
Against this backdrop of human rights issues, Modi, once banned from the United States because of allegations of encouragement of religious violence, is currently in the midst of an official state visit where he has made history by being the first Indian leader to address Congress twice.Before Modi’s second congressional address, Obama gave an interview Thursday with CNN in which he emphasized protection of India’s Muslim minority.
Sarma’s comment came in response to a tweet by journalist Rohini Singh, who asked if the Assam police were “on their way to Washington” to arrest Obama. In Sarma’s tweet, in which he misspelled Obama’s middle name, the Indian politician told Singh that “the Assam police will act according to our own priorities.”
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.
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