‘Political Conspiracy Behind Demographic Change’: Assam CM’s Strong Warning

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday reaffirmed his government’s commitment to tackling land encroachment across the state, describing the campaign over the past four years as historic in scale. He also cautioned against what he termed a “political conspiracy” linked to demographic changes that could threaten Assam’s social fabric.

“In the past four years, we have conducted a large-scale campaign against encroachment and have reclaimed government land on a historic scale. This campaign will continue in the future as well,” Sarma said.

The Chief Minister highlighted that evictions have been carried out in every district, with most evicted areas being kept free from resettlement.

“In past four years, we have carried out numerous evictions and in most of the evicted areas, we have not allowed people to resettle,” he said, adding that the effort requires long-term sustained action.

“These issues require prolonged struggle; it might take 10 to 15 years of continuous efforts. Often people think by issuing notice, it will be done, but it is not enough,” Sarma noted, stressing the need to comply with Supreme Court guidelines during these operations.

One of the major achievements, according to the Chief Minister, is that land encroachers have become fearful of occupying government land without permission.

“Earlier, land was occupied without hesitation. Now people are afraid to encroach on land,” he said.

Sarma cited his recent visit to East Goalpara to illustrate the political risks posed by demographic shifts.

“At one time, that region had a Hindu majority. But from Baghbar to Nadibhanga, nearly 20,000 to 25,000 people left Baghbar in Goalpara. As a result, Hindus became a minority in the Goalpara constituency,” he explained.

He warned that such demographic changes could create “politically dangerous situations,” especially when accompanied by changes in voter registration.

“People even change their voter registration. If they had kept their voter registration in Baghbar, that would be one thing,” he said.

The Chief Minister appealed for mutual respect among communities to preserve Assam’s social harmony.

“If we don’t show mutual respect for each other, if some people think they can just come and grab land, then Assam’s social fabric will deteriorate,” he said.

He stressed the importance of people remaining in their native areas, adding, “If people from Baghbar stay in Baghbar, those from Jania stay in Jania, and those from Nalbari remain in Nalbari, then conflict and tension would not arise.”

Sarma also mentioned his efforts to engage minority leaders in dialogue:

“This is something I regularly try to explain to our minority leaders, try to understand certain things. If we try to understand your concerns, you should also try to understand ours. Only then can we avoid unrest and disorder in Assam.”

He described the pattern of encroachment followed by the construction of rented houses and subsequent voter list manipulation as “a problematic and unhealthy process.”

“What usually happens is, first, people grab land, then they build rented houses, and eventually, they change their names on the voter list,” he said.

The Chief Minister’s remarks underline the Assam government’s continued focus on land rights enforcement and demographic concerns amid ongoing political sensitivities in the region.

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