Sushmita Dev also criticised the BJP-led government’s work on sealing the Assam-Bangladesh border.
Team Clarion
GUWAHATI – A political storm has erupted following Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s controversial statement regarding the Muslim population in the state.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Sushmita Dev has claimed that the chief minister’s statement is nothing but a bundle of lies and an attempt to vitiate the already polarised atmosphere in the country.
Speaking in Ranchi on Wednesday, Sarma claimed that the Muslim population in Assam has surged to 40%, attributing this increase to infiltration from Bangladesh.
In his speech, Chief Minister Sarma emphasised the demographic changes in Assam as a critical issue. “I belong to Assam and demographic change is a big issue for me. The Muslim population in my state is now 40 percent, which was 12 percent in 1951. This is not a political issue for me, but a question of life and death,” he stated.
TMC leader Dev was quick to counter Sarma’s claims, accusing him of disseminating false information. “He is saying that in 1951 there were 12% Muslims in Assam which has increased to 40% today. But government figures show that in 1951 itself there were 25% Muslims in Assam. I want to remind the chief minister that the census was to be done in 2021 which has not been done till date. Where did the figure of 40% come from,” Dev asked.
Dev did not mince words in her criticism, labeling Sarma’s statements as outright lies. “I want to say that his facts are outright lies. Ours is a border state. It is connected to Bangladesh and after partition many people stayed here and many people came here from Bangladesh.”
She further challenged the legitimacy of Sarma’s figures, pointing out the lack of recent census data.
Dev also criticised the BJP-led government’s efforts in sealing the Assam-Bangladesh border, a task that has seen limited progress. “The state government has not been able to seal the Hindu-Bangladesh border till now. The double engine government has been able to do only 17 percent. The work of sealing the border has been going on for the last 20 years,” she said.
Highlighting the dangers of communal politics, Dev warned against using inflammatory statements to provoke religious tensions. “People of every religion live in the country, the false statement you are giving to provoke them is not in the interest of the country. It is clear from the result of the 2024 elections that people have rejected communal politics. The chief minister should withdraw his false statement,” she said.