BJP MLA Ramakanta Dewri has said that Muslims who do not vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the coming elections would be committing what he described as a “great sin”. He also claimed that even “Allah would not forgive them” if they vote against the ruling party.
Ramakanta Dewri is the MLA from 54 No. Morigaon Legislative Assembly Constituency. He made these remarks while addressing a public gathering in Morigaon district. His speech, which quickly spread on social media, has attracted attention because of the direct reference to religion and voters belonging to the Muslim community.
During his speech, the MLA argued that the present BJP government has extended several welfare benefits to Muslim families in different parts of Assam. He said that a large section of Muslims had received government assistance for housing and other schemes under the current administration, and that the support was better than what was provided during previous Congress governments. 
He further said that nearly 80 percent of Muslim families in his constituency had benefitted from government housing schemes. According to him, Muslims had never experienced such benefits when the Congress was in power, but the BJP government had ensured support for them. At the same time, he alleged that some sections of the Hindu community repeatedly claimed that Muslims had “no faith”, even though, according to him, most benefits had gone to Muslim beneficiaries.
While speaking from the stage, Ramakanta Dewri said that people often appreciate the government when they receive rice under welfare schemes, but many still remain critical about who deserves what benefits. He suggested that there was a misunderstanding among some communities about welfare being given to Muslims and argued that the BJP had treated every community equally.
