Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has raised alarms over the state’s changing demographic landscape, asserting that the Muslim population has surged to 39.5 per cent. The Chief Minister highlighted the Union Home Minister’s speech on rising Muslim populations in India, attributing the growth to both internal population increase and cross-border migration, and backed the Union government’s proposed “detect, delete, and deport” demography mission.
“The Union Home Minister on Friday gave a historic speech, and he said that the Muslim population across the country has increased unprecedentedly. This increase in population has not happened only inside the country; people coming from foreign countries have also contributed to it. For that, the Union government wants to conduct a demographic mission, which aims to detect, delete, and deport. For the first time, the Union government has said this clearly. Assam is a big victim of demographic changes. In 2021, the Muslim population in Assam crossed 38 per cent. When the census comes, then it will be 1 or 1.5 per cent more, plus 38 per cent. Now, the Muslim population in Assam is 39.5 per cent. Even in Majuli, the Muslim population has increased by 100 per cent. However, the Assamese Muslim population growth is not of that type; it is similar to ours. If the Muslim population growth is 100 per cent in Majuli, then you can imagine the depth of the problem,” Sarma maintained.
Sarma expressed concern over the state’s religious composition, citing projections from the 2011 census which suggested a Muslim population of around 40 per cent, Christians at 6-7 per cent, and Hindus not exceeding 40 per cent. He indicated plans to discuss the matter further with Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Also read: Demography mission bold step to defend India’s identity: Himanta
“If we take the Muslim population in Assam as 40 per cent, the Christian population as 6-7 per cent, then the Hindu population in Assam is not more than 40 per cent. It is based on the 2011 projection report. It is a worrying issue, and we are all worried about it. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi said this on August 15, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah said this on Friday (October 10). We will have to know more about this. I will try to know more about this when I meet the Union Home Minister next time,” he added.
On Friday, during the 'Narendra Mohan Smriti Lecture' organised by Dainik Jagran, Shah underscored how infiltration had altered India’s population balance over the decades.
“Today, infiltration, demographic change, and democracy; I want to say without hesitation that until every Indian understands these three issues, we cannot ensure our country, our culture, our languages, and our independence. These three topics are interconnected...” Shah remarked.
He cited census data to highlight the demographic shift: “Censuses were conducted in 1951, 1971, 1991, and 2011... In the 1951 census, Hindus constituted 84 per cent, while Muslims constituted 9.8 per cent. In 1971, Hindus constituted 82 per cent, and the Muslim population was 11 per cent. By 1991, the Hindu population had increased to 81 per cent, while the Muslim community accounted for 12.12 per cent. In contrast, in 2001, Hindus accounted for 89 per cent, and Muslims accounted for 14.2 per cent. I'm talking about the populations of only two religions because I want to talk about infiltration...”
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