Top News

Muslims becoming wealthier may signal start of 'surrender of Assamese people': Himanta Biswa Sarma

Scroll | November 10, 2025 10:39 PM CST

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday claimed that the state was witnessing not just demographic change, but an “economic shift”, with Muslims growing richer.

This, the Bharatiya Janata Party leader claimed, could mean that the “surrender of the Assamese people” had begun.

During a press conference in Guwahati, Sarma claimed that the population growth rate among Hindus was reducing, while that of Muslims was increasing.

“I have data of the growth of the Hindu and Muslim populations between 2001 and 2011,” the chief minister said. “You will see that everywhere, the population growth among Hindus is coming down and the Muslim population is increasing in every block of Assam.”

According to the 2011 Census, Hindus constitute 61.47% of Assam’s population, while Muslims constitute 34.22%. The 2001 Census stated that Hindus comprised 64.89% of the population, while Muslims were 30.92%.

Sarma has repeatedly alleged that undocumented immigration in Assam from Bangladesh has been leading to demographic change, with the share of the Muslim population increasing. However, academicians and experts have maintained that higher birth rates, and not undocumented immigration from Bangladesh, were responsible for the increase.

Also read:

Fact check: Are illegal Bangladeshi migrants responsible for increase in Assam's Muslim population?

Despite this, Sarma claimed on Sunday that rapid demographic change had taken place in Assam. “In a way, a chapter of the Assamese people's surrender...