Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed concerns over the alleged demographic changes in the state, highlighting that the Muslim population now accounts for 40 percent, a significant increase from 12 percent in 1951.
Sarma emphasized, “Changing demography is a big issue for me. In Assam, Muslim population has reached 40% today. In 1951, it was 12%. We have lost many districts. This is not a political issue for me. It is a matter of life and death for me,” as reported by ANI.
On July 1, Sarma pointed to criminal activities by a segment of people from a “particular religion,” implicitly referring to Muslims, stating that such incidents were worrisome since the recent Lok Sabha elections.
“I am not saying that crime is committed only by people of a particular religion but recent incidents since the just concluded Lok Sabha elections is a matter of concern,” he remarked.
Earlier, on June 23, Sarma accused Bangladeshi Muslims of supporting Congress in the elections, disregarding the developmental efforts of the BJP-led governments at both state and national levels.
He asserted, “A particular religion openly went against our government in those states, and that religion has tremendous followers in those states. So that has made a difference. It is not a political defeat, because nobody can fight with a religion.”
Sarma, known for his anti-Muslim rhetoric, claimed that the Bangladeshi-origin Muslim community in Assam is the only group engaging in communalism.
As per the 2011 Census of India, the Muslim population in Assam was approximately 34.22% of the total population. No census has been done by the Modi-led government since.