Guwahati, March 27: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday escalated his rhetoric against alleged Bangladeshi migrants, pledging to “break the backbone” of the Miya community if the BJP-led coalition secures another term in the upcoming Assembly elections.
Speaking at a campaign rally in Dhakuakhana, Sarma said his government had already cleared 1.5 lakh bighas of encroached land in the past five years and set a target of 5 lakh bighas for the next term. “We have worked very hard for the indigenous people of the state… This time, we will break the very backbone of the Bangladeshi Miyas, so that they cannot dare the Assamese people,” he declared.
The term Miya, historically used pejoratively for Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam, has in recent years been reclaimed by activists from the community as a symbol of defiance.
At rallies in Bihpuria and Ranganadi, Sarma also promised 2 lakh government jobs and financial support for 10 lakh youth to start businesses, alongside pledges to make education free if re-elected. He accused the Congress of fostering backwardness and insisted the party “will never return to power in the state.”
The Chief Minister’s day-long campaign in Lakhimpur district included stops in Naoboicha, where he reinforced his message of building a “strong Assamese society.”
Elections to Assam’s 126-member Assembly will be held on April 9, with votes counted on May 4. The BJP-led coalition is seeking a third consecutive term in office.
