"CM from ‘unknown’ group to hoist national flag in 20 yrs if...": Himanta

Guwahati: Issuing a stern warning that a CM from "unknown people" will hoist the national flag in Assam in 20 years if Assamese people remain silent, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday took a pledge to fight for survival and clear every piece of land from encroachment.

Hoisting the national tri-colour here on the occasion of Independence Day, Sarma did not clarify who the “unknown people” are, though he used the expression several times in his speech in an apparent reference to Bengali-speaking Muslims.

Later in a post on his X handle, the CM’s Hindi post in this regard was translated to English as: “If we do not act now, in just a few years, Assam's demography will change in such a way that even the chief minister will be from the community of infiltrators.” Sarma also appealed to indigenous people to take a pledge to fight for survival and said that his government will clear every piece of land from unauthorised occupancy.

He said his government has cleared encroachments from 1.2 lakh bighas (over 16,000 hectares) of land, which is a part of that fight.

"Like love jihad, now a section is trying to threaten Assamese identity by indulging in land jihad. Through a series of evictions, we have given the message that our government will never compromise," he added.

Sarma said that "unknown" people's aggression changed the demography of lower and central Assam, and then they eyed upper and north Assam.

"To stop them, we have declared war on their aggression. I promise that we will evict the unknown people from every piece of grazing land, tribal belt and government land," he asserted.

The CM said that the assembly constituencies were redefined as part of this commitment, and by the latest delimitation exercise, the government has been able to "secure" Assam for indigenous people for many decades.

"These unknown people are advancing to capture political power now, after almost capturing economic power. They have captured every sphere of the construction sector. We cannot remain silent.

Sarma asserted that if the youths remain silent and Assamese people are ready for compromise, then in just 10 years, the indigenous people will lose their 'jati, mati, bheti' (community, land, homeland).

"In just 15 years, 80 per cent of the state's ministers will be from them. And within two decades, this national flag on Independence Day will be hoisted by a chief minister from the unknown communituy. This is Assam's future," he added.

Sarma said that as a proud Assamese and Indian, he is not ready to accept such a situation and believes that no Assamese person is ready to accept it.

"We have to fight. We take a pledge under this tri-colour that we will not be finished and we will fight. We will again fight for survival. Our fight is not with arms, but a fight for self-determination... We will not remain silent. If we remain silent, the Assamese community won't survive," he added.

Sarma appealed to the indigenous population not to sell a single piece of land to "unknown" people to stop the aggression from them.

"If we pledge not to sell land, rent out houses and offer office facilities, and accept self-sufficiency, then we will push the danger coming in 20 years to 40 years. Then the new generation will find ways after being inspired by us," he added.

The CM claimed that the Assamese community is moving through a crisis situation as in the last 75 years, it has made compromises.

"Our forefathers had warned us not to give shelter to unknown people, but we invited them to our living rooms. Their courage increased and expanded their strength. Not only char (sandbar) areas, our satra (Vaishnavite monastery), culture also encroached. They did not stop there, they lured our girls through various means to convert them and engaged in love jihad," he added.

The chief minister further claimed that the change of demography has shrunk Assamese or indigenous or Indian people to 60 per cent in Assam.

"There is only a 10 per cent difference between 60 per cent and 40 per cent. We have arrived at a complex juncture of our history. They moved towards Assam. They killed our rhinos and touched the lifeline of our community. A few of our so-called Assamese people compromised. The Leftists, a section of nationalists surrendered in front of unknown people," he added.

Sarma stressed that he did not want to show anyone a dark future of Assam, just wanted to make people aware of present day realities.

"The way aggression was witnessed at Srimanta Sankardeva's birthplace Batadrava, Maa Kamakhya's Nilachal Hill will also see the same fate. Today medical colleges, universities are dominated by them. We have lost land and culture. Most of the advocates in the courts are them. The cab drivers are mostly unknown people. Where did they come from?" he asked.

Srimanta Sankardeva is an Assamese saint-scholar, social-religious reformer, poet, playwright and a towering figure in the cultural and religious history of Assam from the 15th-16th century.

The CM also warned that if any government land is encroached in future, the district commissioners will have to answer and the government will take action against them.

"We won't accept compromise. When thousands of bighas of land were encroached, you failed to deliver your duty," he added.

Sarma also said that when people had left their homes due to "aggression from unknown" people, a few courageous persons stayed back to safeguard the satras and other cultural identities of Assamese people.