Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said that the state is witnessing not just a demographic change but also an “economic shift,” claiming that Muslims are becoming more prosperous — a trend he described as the beginning of the “surrender of the Assamese people.”
Addressing a press conference in Guwahati after a cabinet meeting on Sunday, Sarma said the Hindu population growth in Assam is declining while the Muslim population continues to rise.
“I have the data between 2001 and 2011. In every block of Assam, the growth of the Hindu population is going down, while that of Muslims is increasing,” Sarma said. “I have noticed that demographic change has taken place rapidly… In a way, a chapter of the Assamese people’s surrender has begun.”
The chief minister claimed that alongside demographic shifts, there has been a significant change in the state’s wealth distribution pattern. “So far, we thought only the numbers were changing, but now even the wealth pattern has shifted,” he said.
Sarma said the state government had issued a directive last year requiring scrutiny of land sale permissions between Hindus and Muslims. “We are seeing that the sale of land from Hindus to Muslims is very high, while the vice versa is less,” he said, adding that transactions involving Assamese and indigenous Muslims were not a concern for the government.
He said he would hold a detailed press conference soon to present more data on the issue.
“You can sometimes accept demographic change in population, but witnessing an economic shift signals complete destruction,” the chief minister remarked.
The remarks are expected to spark a political debate in Assam, where demographic and cultural identity issues have long been central to public discourse.
