Assam’s Muslim population now 40%, matter of life and death: Himanta
This comes within a few days of Sarma saying on July 1 that criminal activities by a section of people from a “particular religion” was a matter of concern
The Muslim population in Assam now stands at 40 per cent and that “changing demography” is a big issue for him, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed on Wednesday (July 17). He added that the state has “lost many districts” and it was “a matter of life and death” for him.
“In Assam, the Muslim population has reached 40 per cent today. In 1951, it was 12 per cent. We have lost many districts. This is not a political issue for me. It is a matter of life and death for me,” the BJP leader told news agency ANI.
Sarma’s allusions to a “particular religion”
This comes within a few days of Sarma saying on July 1 that criminal activities by a section of people from a “particular religion” was 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,” Sarma had said.
On June 23, Sarma had claimed that immigrant Bangladeshi Muslims had voted for the Congress in the Lok Sabha polls en masse. He had also alleged that Bangladeshi-origin Muslims were the only community in Assam that resorts to communalism.
BJP’s poll losses
In the Lok Sabha elections, the NDA won 11 of the 14 Lok Sabha seats in Assam, while the Congress pocketed three. However, in the entire North East, the NDA lost considerable ground, winning 15 of the 24 seats. The Congress won seven seats, gaining three compared to 2019.
“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 had claimed.
(With agency inputs)
