Staff Reporter
Guwahati: With the 2026 Assam Assembly elections approaching fast, Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday raised serious concerns over what he termed a rapid demographic shift in the state, warning that it could endanger the very existence of indigenous Assamese people.
Addressing the BJP’s state executive meeting at the Srimanta Sankardev Auditorium in Kalakshetra, the Chief Minister claimed that by the 2027 census, the population of Bangladeshi-origin Muslims in Assam could reach nearly 40 per cent. “In my lifetime, I have seen this figure rise from 21 per cent to 40 per cent,” he said, describing the trend as alarming.
Referring to demographic data, the Chief Minister said minorities constituted 31 per cent of Assam’s population in 2011, many of whom, he claimed, were migrants from Bangladesh. “By 2027, this number is expected to rise to around 40 per cent, raising serious concerns about the changing demographic landscape,” he added.
The Chief Minister cautioned that if Assam were to lose its “jati, mati and bheti”—identity, land and roots—political power would become meaningless. “Once their population reaches 40 per cent, they will decide the outcome of every Assembly constituency,” Sarma warned.
He alleged that a Congress spokesperson had already demanded 48 Assembly seats for Muslims, adding that such demands could eventually extend to the post of Chief Minister from a particular community.
Highlighting the BJP government’s actions, the CM said no previous regime had undertaken eviction drives on such a scale, claiming that over 1.45 lakh bighas of land allegedly occupied by illegal immigrants had been cleared. He also asserted that earlier governments never pushed back foreigners directly from the border.
“This is a fight for survival—either we remain, or they do,” CM Dr Sarma said, claiming that many Assamese families had been forced to leave their land over the last 75 years in Dhubri, Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Dhing, Rupahi, Dalgaon, Tezpur, Naoboicha, etc. He added that the fear of eviction has now led people to vacate encroached areas on their own.
The Chief Minister further alleged that attempts were being made to create unrest in Assam after realizing that the BJP could return to power for a third consecutive term. “In this fight for civilisation over the past five years, BJP is the only party standing firm,” he said.
The CM also criticized attempts to equate historical and cultural figures, stating that comparisons between Sankardev and Azan Fakir or Lachit Borphukan and Bagh Hazarika dilute Assam’s history. “Assam has Sankar–Madhav, not Sankar–Ajan,” he said, while acknowledging that Azan Fakir holds his own respected place.
Reiterating his stance, Sarma said, “Assam was, is and will always remain the land of Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardev and Mahapurush Madhabdev. We will never allow misleading narratives or false equivalences that weaken our cultural identity.”
The Chief Minister also announced that the dates for the Assembly elections would be declared within the next 60 days, marking the beginning of the election countdown. He said this was the final state executive meeting before the polls and highlighted what he described as visible development across Assam over the past five years, both in urban and rural areas.
“We will fight, and we will win,” the Chief Minister concluded, expressing confidence in continued public support for the BJP.
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