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Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said religious minorities should be defined district-wise in the border state.
“For long, there has been a perception in India that ‘Muslim’ means minority, but now this has come under challenge,” Sarma told the Assembly during the budget session. “Hindus can also be a minority in a particular state depending on the geographical situation, population pattern and threat perception,” he said.
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Sarma clarified to the House that his remarks pertained only to religious minorities and not linguistic minorities. “Assam has been progressing in recent times. I do not want to open a fault line,” he said, referring to the widely acknowledged perception that language is the main source of contention in the state, which has seen several flashpoints between Assamese and Bengali speakers.
Sarma cited the example of South Salmara-Mankachar in western Assam, a district where Muslims account for nearly 95 per cent of the population. “Here Hindus are a clear minority, and Muslims are the majority,” he said.
In clearly specifying that his comments are meant only for religious minorities, and not linguistic ones, CM Sarma was referring to the widely acknowledged perception that language was the main source of contention in Assam. The state has seen several flashpoints over language between Assamese and Bengali speakers over the years.
Sarma said the state government would try to be a party to the litigation in the Supreme Court on defining minority status at the state level. In the case, BJP leader Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay contends that although Hindus were a minority in ten states and Union Territories in the country, they are not eligible for government benefits meant for minorities. The Centre has submitted that states are free to designate minority status based on their population data.
Earlier this month, Sarma said in the Assembly that Muslims constituted 30-35 per cent of the state population and could not be considered a minority any more. According to the 2011 Census, Hindus formed 61.47 per cent of the population while Muslims accounted for 34.22 per cent.
