Himanta Biswa Sarma, the chief minister of Assam, asserted on Sunday that the state is experiencing a "surrender of the Assamese people" due to the "economic shift" that Muslims are experiencing in addition to demographic change.
Speaking at a press conference following a cabinet meeting here, Sarma asserted that the state's Muslim population is growing while the Hindu population is declining.
"I have information on the population growth of Muslims and Hindus from 2001 to 2011. The Muslim population is growing and the Hindu population is declining in every Assamese block, he continued.
According to a new directive released last year, the CM stated that the government closely examines approvals for land sales between Muslims and Hindus. "We are seeing that the sale of land from Hindus to Muslims is very high, while the vice versa is less," he stated.
However, he emphasised that the BJP led administration has no issue with the fact that many Assamese and indigenous Muslims are included in these approvals.
"Wealth creation has changed in addition to demographic shifts. We used to believe that simply the numbers had increased, but today we can see that the wealth pattern has also altered," Sarma asserted.
Sarma stated that he will go into further depth on the subject at a subsequent news conference. "Observing an economic movement indicates total devastation, but you can occasionally accept the demographic shift in the population.
We were unaware of this earlier. However, since government approval is needed (for the sale of land), we are now receiving the data," the CM stated.
The Assam government decided last year that land sales between Muslims and Hindus would require the chief minister's office's approval before proceeding.
