Assam polls about protecting 'swadesh' and 'swajati': CM Himanta Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said that the upcoming assembly elections will be a fight to protect 'swadesh' (nation) and 'swajati' (own community), along with the identity, land and culture of the people of the state.

BJP represents the last light of hope that will ensure that the state is not pushed into an abyss of darkness by infiltrators from Bangladesh, the chief minister said at the party's executive meeting here.

"The forthcoming elections are not about hopes and aspirations. It is about dedicating oneself to the cause of protecting 'swadesh' and 'swajati'. I am sure people know that the BJP is their last hope. They will vote for us, and we will win this election," Sarma said.

 

He alleged that the "weakness of the Congress and its politics of polarisation" led to the gradual creation of "another civilisation which now has a 1.5 crore-strong population".

"In the 2011 Census, when we see the breakup of Hindus and Muslims, we find the latter comprise 34 per cent, and if we exclude the 3 per cent Muslims of Assamese origin, we find that infiltrators comprise 31 per cent," he said.

There was no census in 2021 and when it happens in 2027, the population of Muslims of Bangladeshi origin is estimated to be around 40 per cent.

"Some may say that all can coexist as our religion welcomes and includes all, but the recent developments in Bangladesh have shown us that they believe in exclusiveness," Sarma said.

The chief minister said that when Dipu Das can be burnt alive in Bangladesh, "the Assamese people can well imagine what the situation in the state will be after 20 years".

"During the last Eid in Dhubri, I had to go there when beef was thrown outside people's homes and the meat was openly consumed. In Lower and central Assam, there have been instances of Hindu girls becoming victims of 'Love Jihad'. Assamese people are selling off their lands and shifting to towns and cities. These are issues that have endangered the Assamese identity," he added.

Referring to Siliguri's Chicken's Neck Corridor that connects the Northeast with the rest of India, Sarma said, "Who is there on either side? There are no Hindus but only those who have come from Bangladesh."  "When they have come is irrelevant. If there is a war between India and Bangladesh -- who will these settlers support? Where does their loyalty lie?" he asked.

Sarma claimed that there is no other place where the population of the indigenous people has dipped to 60 per cent of the total population.

"During my lifetime, I have seen the population of the infiltrators rise from 21 per cent to nearly 40 per cent and my children will find during their lifetime that the population of the Assamese community has come down to 30 per cent," he added.

He accused the Left parties of 'continuing to weaken our society. They keep praising the Nepal revolution, while conveniently ignoring what followed in that country after that."  Sarma also said that they keep saying students brought in a revolution in Bangladesh by overthrowing Sheikh Hasina, and these references are brought in whenever there is some protest in Assam, but they should realise that 'a revolution that fails to serve the people is no revolution at all'.

He also said that a false narrative is being spread that Assam is the land of 'Sankar-Azan' (Vaishnav saint Sankardeva and Sufi saint Azan Fakir) but this is "wrong as it is the land of 'Sankar-Madhav' (referring to Sankardeva's illustrious disciple Madhavdeva)".

'Assam was, is and will always remain the land of Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardev & Mahapurush Madhabdev. We will never allow misleading narratives, false equivalences or comparisons of our Mahapurush with Ajan Fakir to weaken our cultural identity and civilisational ethos', he said.

The CM asserted that the BJP will be the shining light for the people of Assam who see darkness ahead.

"We will have to fight relentlessly to protect our 'jati, mati and bheti' (community, land and roots)," he added.

"We will fight and definitely win. The legendary Ahom general Lachit Barphukan could defeat the Mughals when he was sick and we will defeat the forces that are threatening our identity, land and culture," Sarma added.

The Assamese are not weak or alone today as they have Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah with them, he added.

Sarma said that for over three decades, the entire state was placed under the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) as violence and conflicts dominated.

This, however, changed in 2022, as 'peace efforts of the double engine government bore fruit and AFSPA was lifted from almost all districts, signalling the rise of a peaceful Assam', he said.

Sarma asserted that during the last ten years, the state has witnessed unprecedented development due to the Prime Minister's efforts.

'Earlier, the word 'parivartan' (change) was only talked about, but now it is visible in every aspect of life', he said.