Himanta Biswa Sarma promises white paper on demographic changes in Assam
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who has been accused of deepening the religious divide, insisted he was trying to secure communal harmony and peace
Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday promised a white paper by April-May next year on demographic changes in Assam with the increase in Muslim population and decrease in the number of Hindus. He said this was being done for people to understand the challenges.
“...will bring out a comprehensive white paper on how the number of Muslims is increasing in the area with the Hindu majority...there is no report of communal violence and the two communities are living peacefully. But a reverse situation is happening on the other front,” he said.
Sarma, who has been accused of deepening the religious divide, insisted he was trying to secure communal harmony and peace. “The white paper will have interesting facts. You will be surprised at the changes that are taking place. Demographic changes have taken place in 19,000 out of 28,000 polling booths in the state.”
Sarma appealed to Opposition Congress to take up this issue as it was not about politics. “Everybody should fight unitedly. Nobody should be disturbed. ...people should be able to live peacefully in areas where they are residing at present.”
Sarma’s comments on Tuesday that he would not let Miyas, a pejorative term for Bengali-speaking Muslims, “take over” the state triggered an uproar against the backdrop of an ultimatum asking the community to leave nine districts of Upper Assam within a week. He doubled down on taking sides when the Opposition accused him of being partisan.
The Opposition on Tuesday accused Sarma of communal and unconstitutional statements and urged President Droupadi Murmu and Assam governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya to remove him. The United Opposition Forum Assam, comprising 18 national and regional parties including Congress, Raijor Dal, and Assam Jatiya Parishad, planned to lodge a case against Sarma.
Assam Jatiya Parishad chief Lurinjyoti Gogoi on Tuesday called Sarma belligerent and said Assam was unsafe in his hands. “He has made the future of the state’s younger generations uncertain with his utterances and is trying to create disturbances among Hindus and Muslims.”
On Wednesday, Sarma also said the government was not working towards bringing a comprehensive Uniform Civil Code (UCC), or common laws for personal matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, and succession for all citizens, on the lines of the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Uttarakhand. “Our job is limited to curbing child marriages and empowering women,” he said months after saying UCC will be introduced in Assam too.
Sarma insisted he has nothing against any religion per se. He referred to a bill tabled in the state assembly on Tuesday regarding compulsory registration of Muslim marriages and divorces. Sarma said once it is passed, they will bring a law banning polygamy. He added the government was also looking at regulating inter-religion marriages. Sarma said steps were being taken to protect the identity and culture of the state’s indigenous people. “The five years of the present government will be remembered as a period when a last-ditch attempt was made to protect Assam from invaders.”
Sarma said two bills on the registration of Muslim marriages and divorces and protection of heritage sites and tribal lands were on the legislative agenda. He said they were examining three to four bills to ban polygamy, regulate inter-religion marriages, and reserve some jobs only for domiciles. “Before my tenure is over [in May 2026] everything will be in place.”
Sarma claimed there was an increase in Bangladeshi Muslim and Rohingya infiltration into Assam in the aftermath of the political turmoil and violence in the neighboring countries. “Contrary to the fear the Hindus from the neighbouring nation may enter India, there has been an influx of Bangladeshi Muslims. ...they said that they were fleeing as many textile industries were closing and they were out of jobs. Instead of political refugees, economic refugees are coming to India.”
Sarma said police deployments in border areas and railway stations have been increased to nab undocumented entrants. He said nearly 50 Bangladeshis who entered Assam following the political turmoil in Bangladesh have been sent back. “Most of these people were headed to Coimbatore. I request the government of Tamil Nadu to check the backgrounds of those who recently got jobs in the textile industry in Coimbatore. I will write a letter to Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin.”