Assam facing grim challenge of change in demographic pattern: Himanta on Martyrs' Day

Guwahati, Dec 10 (PTI) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said the state is facing a grim challenge of change in demographic pattern with 40 per cent of the state's population having come from Bangladesh at some point of time.

Sarma said this after inaugurating a 'Swahid Smarak' (Martyrs Column) commemorating the death of over 860 people during the Assam Movement, a six-year-long violent anti-foreigner agitation that began in 1979. On this day in that year, the agitation claimed its first victim, he said.

''Legalities apart, the Assamese are today marginalised in our own land; our culture is marginalised and the economy is fast shifting to those people who were never associated with our culture and history,'' the chief minister said on the sidelines of the programme.

He said that the challenge continues but one good thing is that there is a collective spirit to face it and ''I am sure that our new generation will keep on fighting. God will bless us and we will survive''.

Sarma said that it was an honour of a lifetime to 'dedicate the 'Swahid Smarak' in memory of those who fought for the pride of "Aai (mother) Asomi''.

''Every moment, every action, every step is dedicated to uphold the honour of Assam and the sacrifices of our brave hearts,'' he said in his address after the inauguration of the column.

Highlighting the tipping point of the Assam movement against infiltrators, the CM said that the people had called for the removal of the names of foreigners from the voters list and until this was done, they would not allow elections to be held in the state.

''From Sadiya to Dhubri, the sentiment of the people were roused. People went to every political party and their potential candidates and appealed that they should not contest the polls because they want a clean voter list without foreigners, but the then government did not listen to them,'' he said.

On the early morning of December 10, 1979, then President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed's wife Begum Abida Ahmed went from Lakhtokia in Guwahati to Barpeta to file her nomination papers.

''At that time, I was a student of class five; I remember that picketers were beaten with sticks and removed by the police so that she could go to Barpeta to file her papers, but she faced resistance along the way,'' he said.

In Bhabanipur town, a first-year student of Howly College, Khargeswar Talukdar, who was also the Secretary of the Bhabanipur Regional Students' Union, was dragged by the police and thrown into a nearby ditch and was the first to sacrifice his life for the cause, Sarma said.

''Following the path shown by Khargeswar Talukdar, 860 martyrs sacrificed their lives to protect their 'Aai Asomi', to ensure its security and build a self-respecting and developed state. Today, we honour the courage and sacrifice of 860 brave hearts of the Assam Movement who laid down their lives to protect the identity of our beloved motherland,'' he said.

The CM alleged that these sons and daughters of Assam were mercilessly killed by illegal infiltrators and the then Congress government for raising their voice in favour of the fundamental issue of identity'.

The issue of illegal infiltration, however, is not limited to a particular period but its roots date back to the pre-independence era when people from then East Bengal and later East Pakistan entered Assam illegally in large numbers, driven by the lure of land and better opportunities, Sarma said.

He alleged that for years, successive Congress governments paid only token homage to their sacrifice while encouraging infiltration from Bangladesh for vote-bank politics -- "a grave insult to the memory of the martyrs".

''Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP-led government took firm steps to end this menace. We have worked to seal the borders, identify and plug gaps, and deploy advanced technology to prevent infiltration,'' the CM said.

He said that the BJP government has implemented the Assam Accord in letter and spirit, including Clause 6, created separate tribal belts and blocks to safeguard indigenous lands, established a Commission to protect Satras (Vaishnavite monasteries), undertaken extensive eviction drives, promoted indigenous languages, and accorded Classical Language status for Assamese.

''All these initiatives are our solemn tributes to the 860 martyrs and expressions of our unwavering commitment to our 'Jati, Mati, and Bheti' (identity, land and roots). The inauguration of the Martyrs Column is a timeless reminder of their courage and Assam's resilience,'' he said.

The CM also said that his government was committed to ''realising the dreams of a 'Viksit and Surakshit' (Developed and Secure) Assam, as envisioned by our brave hearts''.

Earlier, he offered his tribute to the martyrs of the Assam movement on the occasion of 'Swahid Divas'.

The foundation stone of the column was laid in 2019 in the Boragaon area here and the project has facilities like water bodies, auditorium, a prayer hall, a cycle track and facilities for sound and light show, which will highlight different aspects of the Assam agitation and the state's history.

Built at a cost of Rs 170 crore, the memorial represents the enduring resolve of the Assamese people to live with dignity and will serve as a source of inspiration for generations, Sarma said.

The central programme of Swahid Divas was held at the Swahid Smarak Kshetra, while similar programmes were organised in all district and sub-divisional headquarters across the state. PTI DG NN