Guwahati, Jan 31: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday defended his remarks on illegal immigration, invoking Mahatma Gandhi and referring to Supreme Court observations amid criticism over his comments on Bangladeshi immigrants.

Responding to Tushar Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi’s great-grandson, Sarma said democratic governments change through elections, not intimidation or attempts to remove elected leaders. “If Bapu were alive today, he would have stood with the Assamese people. History shows his intervention saved Assam from becoming part of Pakistan. Standing up against illegal infiltration is not hatred—it is about protecting the rights, identity, and future of the Assamese people,” he wrote.

Tushar Gandhi had accused Sarma of hate speech, saying that under Gandhi’s vision, citizens would have removed a leader making such comments.

The controversy follows Sarma’s use of the term “Miya Muslims” to describe Bangladeshi immigrants, which he defended as a term originating within the community. He also cited Supreme Court observations in the Sarbananda Sonowal case, warning that illegal migration could lead to significant demographic changes in Assam’s lower districts, potentially affecting national security.

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi criticized Sarma for allegedly misattributing executive observations to the Supreme Court. “The Hon’ble Court neither authored the said words nor adopted it. To pass off an executive report as a judicial pronouncement is deliberate contempt,” Gogoi wrote on X.