Ajmal lands into scarf row, faces entry ban in seven Assam districts

Guwahati: Badruddin Ajmal, Lok Sabha MP and chief of the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), has sparked a huge controversy in Assam after he allegedly disrespected ‘cheleng’, a traditional Vaishnavite scarf.

The Upper Assam Muslim Kalyan Parishad, a social organisation, has issued a stern warning to Ajmal for his ‘act’ and imposed a ban on his entry in seven Assam districts. “Badruddin Ajmal has disrespected the whole Assamese community through his action,” according to Manirul Islam Bora, a leader of the organisation.

He said, “The AIUDF leader has insulted Vaishnav and traditional civilization and culture, besides hurting the self-esteem of the Assamese people. Therefore, until he apologizes for his actions, Ajmal will not be allowed to enter the seven districts — Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Golaghat, and Shivsagar.

“Badruddin Ajmal knows nothing about Assamese tradition. He grew up in Arab culture,” Bora claimed.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also launched a veiled attack at the AIUDF chief.

He said, “Badruddin Ajmal is a symbol to me, not a person. When I say Ajmal, I mean countless enemies of the state. The Barpeta Lok Sabha MP Abdul Khaleque is also in the circle of these Ajmals because he ignored the Assamese language.”

According to Sarma, these people have been quiet for the last few years. “Earlier, they used to do and say a lot of things. They were never warned during the tenure of earlier governments. But now the situation has changed. We have taken a lot of measures. Now Ajmals have to think thousands of times to wage Jihad or talk badly about Assamese. Ajmals have nothing to do but write on Facebook or other social media”, the Chief Minister added.

He also said, “The individual Badruddin Ajmal is not a problem to me. But the cattle thieves and anti-social elements of Ajmals are real threats.”

Sarma also advised the Assamese organisations not to show any respect to Badruddin Ajmal.

“A person who does not bother to understand the culture of Assam will obviously disrespect it. Our people must understand this fact,” he added.

Meanwhile, a police complaint was also lodged against Badruddin Ajmal for allegedly disrespecting Assamese culture.

Assam Satra Mahasabha lodged the FIR against the Dhubri MP at the Morigaon police station. They claimed that Ajmal threw away the ‘cheleng’ from his shoulder when it was presented to him at a meeting in Lahorighat in Morigaon district recently.

The Mahasabha secretary, Bimal Chandra Borkakoti, said, “Such disrespect to our honoured ‘cheleng’ will not be tolerated. We have lodged a police complaint against Badruddin Ajmal.”

According to a senior police official in Morigaon, the charges made in the complaint are being investigated, and legal action will be taken as required.

On the other hand, Badruddin Ajmal has dismissed the charges brought against him.

He said, “I never threw the ‘cheleng’ and I was giving it to another person. I have great respect for Assamese culture, and no other politician in the state puts on ‘cheleng’ like me.”

The AIUDF leader claimed that he had been unnecessarily dragged into a controversy.

IANS