Himanta to Mamata: We rise to defend our lands…; you choose to politicize it

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: A war of words between Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma and his West Bengal counterpart, Mamata Banerjee, is underway, with Banerjee accusing Sarma of harassing Bengali-speaking people in the name of eviction drives in Assam.

Banerjee said, "This divisive agenda of the BJP in Assam has crossed all limits, and the people of Assam will fight back. To threaten citizens, who want to coexist peacefully respecting all languages and religions, with persecution for upholding their own mother tongue is discriminatory and unconstitutional. I stand with every fearless citizen who is fighting for the dignity of their language and identity and their democratic rights."

Reacting to that, the Assam Chief Minister said, "While we're acting decisively to preserve Assam's identity, you, Didi, have compromised Bengal's future by encouraging illegal encroachments by a particular community, appeasing one religious community for a vote bank, and remaining silent as border infiltration eats away at the national integrity-all just to stay in power."

The Assam Chief Minister further said, "We don't divide people by their language or religion. All languages and communities have coexisted here. But no civilisation can survive if it refuses to protect its borders and its cultural foundations."

The Assam Chief Minister said, "In Assam, we aren't fighting our own people. We are fearlessly resisting the ongoing unchecked Muslim infiltration from across the border, which has already caused an alarming demographic shift. In several districts, the Hindus are now on the verge of becoming a minority in their own land."

Sarma further said, "This is not a political narrative; it's a reality. Even the Supreme Court has termed such infiltration as external aggression. And yet, when we rise to defend our lands, culture, and identity, you choose to politicize it. Assam will continue to fight to preserve its heritage, its dignity, and its people-with courage and constitutional clarity."

Ever since eviction drives started in Assam, the TMC has been depicting the drives as harassment of Bengali-speaking people. The party has also alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking people in Assam on the ground of identification of citizens of doubtful nationalities.

The TMC alleged that 'harassment of Bengali-speaking people in BJP-ruled states after being branded as illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators is the most burning issue of the country currently.'

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