Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has sparked a renewed political and social debate by making a strong assertion about the state’s changing demographic profile. Speaking to journalists at a public programme on Sunday, the Chief Minister claimed that the Hindu population in Assam has declined sharply and now stands at approximately 40 percent of the total population, almost equal to the Muslim population in the state.
Highlighting what he described as a “serious and alarming demographic transformation,” Sarma said Assam has been one of the biggest victims of demographic change in the country. According to estimates based on the 2011 Census, he stated, the Muslim population in the state has crossed 38 percent and is currently around 39.5 percent. The Chief Minister clarified that these figures are not from a fresh census but are projections derived from the last official population data of 2011.
Sarma further pointed out that the Christian population in Assam is around 6 to 7 percent. He argued that if communities from outside the state and other smaller groups are excluded, the share of the Hindu population in Assam today does not exceed 40 percent. His remarks come amid long-standing concerns over identity, migration, and citizenship in the northeastern state.
Attributing the demographic shift primarily to illegal infiltration, the Chief Minister claimed that several districts have witnessed drastic changes in their population composition. Citing Majuli, globally known as the world’s largest inhabited river island and a major centre of Vaishnav culture, Sarma alleged that the Muslim population there has seen a 100 percent increase. He stressed, however, that this rise was not due to the natural growth of the local Muslim community but was driven by illegal migrants.
The Chief Minister also lauded the central government’s initiatives to address the issue. Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day address, Sarma said the announcement of a demographic mission marked the first decisive step towards tackling the problem of unchecked population change.
Sarma’s statements come against the backdrop of the 2011 Census, which recorded Assam’s population as 61.47 percent Hindu and 34.22 percent Muslim. With no census conducted since then, demographic estimates have become a contentious issue in Assam.
