Overview

• Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said Miya Muslims will comprise about 38% of Assam’s population and become the largest community, a claim that will be verifiable only after the next Census results.
• Sarma asserted that the indigenous population will be secure only if Miya Muslims are kept under pressure, reiterating a hard-line stance on demographic change.
• He announced that two bills aimed at protecting ‘jati, maati, bheti’ will be introduced in November, without disclosing the details of the proposals.
• The government reaffirmed land-enforcement measures, noting eviction notices issued in Goalpara and Behali and saying the drive against alleged illegal encroachments will continue.
• Opposition parties condemned the remarks as communalising demographics ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections; as context, the 2011 Census recorded Muslims at 34.22% in Assam and the term ‘Miya’ commonly refers to Bengali-origin Muslims.