'Matter of life and death for me': Himanta says Muslim population has jumped to 40% in Assam

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said the changing demography was a big issue for him as the Muslim population had jumped to 40 per cent in Assam from 12 per cent in 1951.

"In Assam, the Muslim population has reached 40% today. In 1951, it was 12%," the chief minister said while addressing a press conference in Jharkhand. "We have lost many districts. This is not a political issue for me. It is a matter of life and death for me."

Himanta Biswa Sarma is BJP's co-incharge for Jharkhand, where assembly elections are due later this year. He raised the infiltration issue in Jharkhand, where he claimed Muslim infiltrators from Bangladesh are settling in big numbers. He also claimed that the JMM-Congress government headed by Hemant Soren was not taking any action against infiltrators marrying tribal girls.   

"When people of two different religions get married, it is done so under the Special Marriage Act. People who migrate to India, already have a wife and family, but they still lure and marry the poor tribal girls of the state. Keeping this subject in mind, we need to make laws specific to Jharkhand. We need to safeguard the rights of the women of Jharkhand," he said. 

Addressing a rally, Sarma on Tuesday said infiltrators from Bangladesh are settling in Jharkhand and this was the biggest threat to the tribals. He said the demography of the state was changing every day and there should be a law to restrict marriage between tribal women and Muslim infiltrators. He also said that 'jamai tola' is coming up on the land of Bhagwan Birsa Munda.

The chief minister also said that the Jharkhand High Court has directed the Jharkhand government to detect the infiltrators and deport them. It is the responsibility of the state government to detect and deport, he said, adding that it was not the responsibility of the central government to do this.

Himanta said if Soren cannot do this job then he should leave the chair and the BJP government will do it once elected. "I do this work (deportation) in Assam daily. If you are not fulfilling your responsibility and say that Delhi should do it, then why are you in the chair? You should leave the chair and we will do this work," Sarma said.