Demographic changes pose threat to Assam’s indigenous population: CM Sarma

Guwahati, Aug 26 (IANS) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday cautioned that demographic changes in certain parts of the state could pose long-term challenges to the indigenous population.

Referring to the transformation of voter lists over the decades, he pointed to constituencies like Bilasipara and Dhubri, where the demographic composition has altered significantly since 1972. Sarma clarified that his government has no hostility towards those who settled in Assam before March 24, 1971, the cut-off date under the Assam Accord.

He underlined that the state has already filed an affidavit in court recognising them as Indian citizens. “Even yesterday, we pushed back 26 people. In the forest areas, it is not like we are only evicting the Miya community. In Uriamghat, other caste groups were also evicted,” he said, in response to criticism surrounding eviction drives.

The Chief Minister argued that while eviction measures have drawn opposition, especially from the Miya community, they are part of the government’s attempt to enforce land rights and protect forest areas. “India is a country formed on the basis of law. A person grabbed 300 bighas of land, and someone else has 200 bighas. If someone owns 300 or 200 bighas of land illegally, won’t people get angry?” Sarma asked.

The CM has repeatedly linked unchecked migration from Bangladesh to demographic shifts in lower Assam districts, warning that this threatens the cultural and political rights of indigenous Assamese communities. The issue remains deeply sensitive in the state, where questions of land ownership, identity, and citizenship have historically shaped politics.

In recent months, the Assam government has intensified eviction drives in areas it describes as encroached forest and government land. Officials have maintained that the operations are not targeted at any single community, but opposition parties and rights groups have accused the government of disproportionately affecting Muslims of Bengali origin, often referred to as the Miya community.

The debate has also triggered political sparring. Opposition leaders, including Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, have criticised the government for failing to curb infiltration despite being in power for nearly a decade, even as Sarma continues to project strong action against encroachment and illegal migration as central to his administration’s agenda.

–IANS

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