Assam CM Says It’s A ‘Matter Of Life & Death’ As Muslim Population In State Now 40%

Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma triggered a controversy on Wednesday with a comment on Muslims in the northeastern state.

Claiming that the Muslim population in Assam has gone up to 40 per cent, Biswa Sarma said that the changing demography is a major concern for him.

“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,” ANI quoted the BJP leader as saying.

Earlier this month, Biswa Sarma had said, without mentioning any community, that criminal activities by a section of a people from a ‘particular religion’ were a matter of concern.

“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,” Biswa Sarma observed.

A few days after results of the Lok Sabha polls were announced, Biswa Sarma had said that Bangladeshi minority community members voted for Congress without considering the development work done by BJP-helmed governments in the state and Centre.

He added that only the Bangladeshi-origin minority community indulges in communalism in Assam.

The BJP-AGP-UPPL coalition won 11 of the 14 Lok Sabha seats in Assam in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, while Congress bagged the remaining 3.

BJP and its allies lost some ground in the northeastern states, winning 15 out of 24 seats, while Congress gained 3 seats by winning in 7 constituencies.

“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,” Biswa Sarma had said.