'Muslim Population In Assam Now 40% Due To Infiltration': Himanta Biswa Sarma's Explosive Claim

New Delhi: In a controversial claim that may ruffle many feathers in today's polarised political landscape, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated that the Muslim population in his state has slowly grown to 40 percent of the total population due to infiltration from Bangladesh.

“The Muslim population in Assam has grown to 40 per cent (of the total population) due to infiltration, and it's a slow, continuous process,” Sarma said in an exclusive conversation with Republic TV.

When questioned whether his statement might seem alarming among the Assamese people, the Chief Minister reasoned, “In a state where the natives become a minority or in a process of becoming a minority, I think it becomes an alarming issue. This is because in India, no other state's demography is being changed owing to infiltration. Supreme Court while deciding a case for Assam has clearly stated that Assam is facing demographic invasion.”

The Chief Minister even broke down how he came to his calculation of 40 percent Muslim population in his state. He explained that every year the minority population has increased by 4 per cent. Since the last census was done in 2011, in 2021 it could have been 38 percent, and in 2025, it rounds up to 40 percent.

“The process was started right from 1940s but from 1961 onwards, it has accelerated. In 2011 census, the Muslim population in Assam has been recognized at 34 percent. Every year, the trend of increase is 4 percent. If there had been census in 2021, it would have been 38 percent. Today we are in 2025, add another 2 percent into it. So it is 40 percent,” Sarma said.

Himanta Biswa Sarma explained that even if one takes conservative estimates, and considers that infiltration may have come down in the last decade, the Muslim population in Assam would reduce to at most 1 percent, thereby taking the number to around 39-40 percent of the state's total population.

“If you somehow say that in the last 10 years infiltration has come down. If you attribute some positivity that something has happened on ground then it will maximum get reduced by 1 percent. So today, it is 39-40 per cent,” he elaborated.

When asked what had led to such a mammoth population influx of one community in his state, Sarma said, “A kind of chain of influx has happened in Assam. Population from another country have come to Assam. They have their children and grandchildren and in the process the native people are being pushed.”

Lamenting that Assam could not rise to being a developed state after Independence, the Chief Minister blamed this influx of people that started after 1960s.

"According to statistics, all this happened post 1960s. What Assam gained from Independence? We should have been strengthened post Independence," he said.

When asked to pin-point any reason for the spike in population, Sarma denied that the change has been gradual, rather than sudden.

“There is no spike, it is an even pattern. Every census, it (Muslim population) increases by 4 per cent. The movement is continuous,” he said.

When asked if one of the reasons for this population explosion is also ‘homegrown’, the Chief Minister said that it is natural that those who have settled in the state also produce children.

“It is infiltration and obviously those who have come in produce children as well. So it is both homegrown as well as infiltration. Once you enter into Assam, definitely they are going to produce 8, 9, 7 children. So multiplication factor happens when you enter into Assam and settle down,” he said.

The Migration Plank

Assam has been reeling under the problem of migration from Bangladesh even before the birth of the neighbouring country. Several reports have claimed that illegal migration along the porous border between the two countries have continued unabated over the years, putting a burden on Assam's resources. The Supreme Court-directed Assam NRC (National Register of Citizens) list published on August 31, 2019, excluded around 1.9 million people. However, pleas for complete reverification are ongoing.

With the 2026 assembly elections approaching, some political analysts say, that the BJP may be keen on flaring up this polarising issue of illegal migration, for electoral gains. Reports of atrocities against Hindu minorities in Bangladesh ahead of their first national elections after Sheikh Hasina's ouster, may add further steam to the BJP's campaign. 

ALSO READ: 'Conspiracies to Change Demography in Border Areas...': PM Modi Says Govt Won't Let Infiltrators Take Country's Resources