Gowhati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has raised alarms about the state’s demographic changes, predicting that the Muslim population will become the majority by 2041. Sarma highlighted that the Muslim population in Assam is growing by approximately 30 percent every decade, while the Hindu population increases by only 16 percent.
Citing Indian census data, Sarma noted, “In 2011, there were 1.4 crore Muslims in Assam. By 2041, Assam will become a Muslim majority state. The Muslim population in Assam increases by 11 lakh every 10 years.” According to the 2011 census, Muslims constituted 34.22 percent of Assam’s 3.12 crore population, totaling 1.07 crore. In contrast, Hindus made up 61.47 percent, with 1.92 crore people.
Sarma’s government has implemented measures aimed at curbing the population growth of the Muslim community. He emphasized the importance of education and empowerment, particularly for girls. “Many people have also helped us. If the ‘Nijut Moina’ scheme succeeds, girls will become doctors and engineers. Then they will not give birth (to children),” he said. The scheme offers a monthly honorarium of up to Rs 2,500 for five years to girl students from class 11 to post-graduation, aiming to prevent child marriage.
Despite these efforts, Sarma expressed concerns about the scale of the problem. “We will get some results from the steps taken by our government in the last three years, but the problem is very big,” he said. He reiterated his prediction that Assam will become a Muslim majority state by 2041, asserting, “It’s a reality and nobody can stop it.”
Sarma also called on the Congress party to play a crucial role in controlling population growth. He suggested that Rahul Gandhi could be an effective advocate for population control, stating, “If Rahul Gandhi becomes the brand ambassador of population control, it can be controlled because the community only listens to him.”
Criticizing previous governments, Sarma said, “Had earlier chief ministers ‘not been secular’ and had spoken about population explosion like him since 1971 or 1981, the state would have got positive results.” He added that had the government taken earlier steps for the education of Muslim girls and against child marriage, the current situation could have been avoided.
Reflecting on his tenure as Assam’s health minister during the Congress rule, Sarma mentioned, “One lakh men were sterilised in 2009. Gradually, the programme was shut down. If we can continue this process, we can be successful to a large extent. It is not that all women want to give birth to five or eight children. There are some enabling factors that help increase the number.”
As Assam faces these demographic challenges, Sarma’s statements have sparked debate and concern about the state’s future population dynamics and the measures needed to address them.
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