LoP Saikia Alleges CAA Has Emboldened Outsiders to Threaten Assamese Society

Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia has held the BJP governments at the Centre and in Assam squarely responsible for the turmoil triggered by recent comments of activist and former Planning Commission member Syeda Saiyidain Hameed. Citing the Assam Accord of 1985, Saikia reminded that “every individual coming from other countries, including Bangladesh, after March 24, 1971, must be identified and deported.” Yet, he argued, the failure of both state and central governments to act on this promise has created an atmosphere where outsiders can make divisive and provocative remarks.

Saikia accused the ruling BJP of betraying its own assurances, recalling Narendra Modi’s 2014 speech at Guwahati’s Judges’ Field where the then Prime Ministerial candidate vowed to deport Bangladeshis after coming to power. “Ten years have passed, nothing has been done. Had they acted, Assam would not have been pushed into this dangerous situation today,” Saikia said. He further alleged that the Citizenship Amendment Act (2019), imposed by the BJP, has emboldened individuals like Hameed to make remarks that threaten to fracture Assamese society along linguistic and religious lines.

Hameed’s Provocative Remarks

In her remarks, Hameed directly challenged Assam’s long-standing position on illegal migrants. “Our conscience, the condition of Muslims here, is that they are being treated like Bangladeshis. And what is wrong with saying that we’re Bangladeshis?” she asked, adding, “Even a Bengali person can be a human being. The world is so big—there could also be some Bangladeshi people here. They aren’t depriving us of anything rightfully.”

She further described the eviction drives in Assam as a humanitarian catastrophe: “This is a Qayamat (apocalypse) for Muslims. If this government continues, this is mass murder! And Allah Ta’ala, Bhagwan, Guru will never ever forgive it.”

Hameed, while professing her love for Assam and recalling visits since 1997, likened eviction drives in Goalpara to those in Delhi’s Jamia Milia Islamia. “Driving people away so badly is a shame… Humanity must be put above vindictiveness,” she said.

AASU: “Dishonour to Martyrs”

The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), guardians of the legacy of the Assam Agitation, also slammed Hameed’s remarks. Its president Utpal Sharma called them “anti-Assam and anti-India,” asserting that they mocked the sacrifice of the 855 martyrs who laid down their lives to preserve Assam’s identity.

“By saying that Bangladeshi nationals are not harming the people of the state, she dishonours those who died to protect Assam’s future,” Sharma said, capturing the enduring pain and defiance of a generation that resisted demographic upheaval.

The Deeper Fault Line

The row once again exposes Assam’s deepest political wound: the clash between the Assam Accord, which sets March 24, 1971, as the cut-off date for identifying foreigners, and the CAA, which shifts the framework by offering citizenship to non-Muslim migrants.

For Assam, Hameed’s universalist call for “humanity” sounds tone-deaf, if not provocative, when seen against the backdrop of decades of struggle, violence, and sacrifice to protect its identity. The CAA’s override of the Accord only deepens resentment, raising fears that Assamese society will be permanently reshaped by unchecked migration.

Conclusion

By spotlighting the BJP’s unfulfilled promises, Debabrata Saikia has turned the controversy into an indictment of governance failure—a failure that has left Assam vulnerable to external provocations and internal divisions. Hameed’s remarks may have stoked outrage, but they also expose how little has been resolved since the Accord was signed.

For a state that has already bled once for its identity, this storm is less about what Hameed said and more about what successive governments failed to do.

Also Read: Syeda Hameed’s Remarks on Bangladeshis: Why Assam Will Not Take It Lightly