Overview
- At the BJP’s state executive meeting in Guwahati on Dec. 27, Himanta Biswa Sarma said Muslims of Bangladesh origin could account for about 40% of Assam’s population by the 2027 Census.
- He referenced Census 2011 showing Muslims at 34% statewide and estimated 31% of Bangladesh origin after excluding roughly 3% Assamese Muslims.
- He warned that crossing 50% could trigger attempts to fold Assam into Bangladesh and questioned the loyalty of settlers in a hypothetical conflict.
- He linked the rhetoric to government actions, citing expanded eviction drives and land clearances he said target illegal immigration to send a message to Bangladesh.
- No new census data has been released since 2011, so the figures are Sarma’s projections, and the NRC published in 2019 excluded about 1.9 million people.