Guwahati

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday responded to AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi’s statement that a hijab-clad woman could one day become the Prime Minister of India, saying that while the Constitution allows it, India’s civilisational ethos would see a Hindu holding the top office.

“Constitutionally, there is no bar. Anyone can become the Prime Minister. But India is a Hindu nation with a Hindu civilisation, and we are extremely confident that the Indian Prime Minister will always be a Hindu person,” Sarma told reporters.

Owaisi had earlier said that one day a hijab-clad woman would become the Prime Minister of India, citing the inclusivity of the Indian Constitution. Addressing an election meeting in Solapur, Maharashtra, on Friday, he contrasted India’s constitutional framework with Pakistan’s, which restricts non-Muslims from holding top constitutional posts.

“Babasaheb Ambedkar’s Constitution says any citizen of India can become Prime Minister, Chief Minister or mayor. It is my dream that a day will come when a hijab-clad daughter will become the Prime Minister of this country,” Owaisi had said.

The remarks come amid campaigning for Mumbai’s civic elections, scheduled to be held on January 15, with results to be declared on January 16.

Reacting sharply, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla challenged Owaisi to first appoint a Pasmanda Muslim or a hijab-clad woman as the president of the AIMIM.

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“The Constitution stops nobody, but I challenge you to make a Pasmanda or hijab-clad woman the AIMIM president first,” Poonawalla said in a post on X.