TMC leader slams Assam CM’s false claims on Muslim population
Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Sushmita Dev has slammed Himanta Biswa Sharma, the chief minister of the BJP-ruled Assam state, for spreading lies and attempting to polarize the country with his controversial statement on the state’s Muslim population.
According to Kashmir Media Service, talking to media men in Ranchi, Sarma had claimed that the Muslim population in Assam had surged to 40% due to infiltration from Bangladesh, sparking a political storm.
“The Muslim population in my state is now 40 percent, which was 12 percent in 1951. This is not a political issue for me, but a question of life and death,” Sarma stated.
However, TMC leader Dev, taking to social media, countered Sarma’s claims, saying he was disseminating false information. “He is saying that in 1951 there were 12% Muslims in Assam which has increased to 40% today. But government figures show that in 1951 itself there were 25% Muslims in Assam. I want to remind the chief minister that the census was to be done in 2021 which has not been done till date. Where did the figure of 40% come from,” Dev asked.
Dev warned against using inflammatory statements to provoke religious tensions and urged the chief minister to withdraw his false claims. She emphasized that communal politics has been rejected by the people, as evident from the 2024 election results.
Notably, Sarma had made such controversial statements earlier as well. When Congress candidate Rokibul Hussain won from Dhubri Lok Sabha seat with a record margin of 10.12 lakh votes, Sarma had said that his victory was a threat to Assam’s culture.
