Himanta Biswa Sarma: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has laid down some conditions for Bengali-speaking Muslims of migrant Bangladeshi origin to become native residents of the state. CM Sarma on Saturday (23 March) told Bengali-speaking Muslims that if they really want to get themselves recognized as natives, then they will have to stop having more than two children. Besides, they will also have to give up the tradition of polygamy and send their children to schools.
In fact, Assam has the second highest Muslim population after Jammu and Kashmir. According to the 2011 census, the number of Muslims in the total population of the state is 34 percent. But the Muslim population of Assam consists of two different groups. In this, one group is of Bengali speaking and migrant Muslims of Bangladesh origin, while the other group is of Assamese speaking indigenous Muslims. It is said that the Bengali speaking Muslim population has come to Assam via Bangladesh.
We have to stop having more than two children: CM Sarma
Regarding recognition of Bengali-speaking Muslims, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “They should stop having more than two children and stop polygamy as this is not the culture of the Assamese people. If they want to become natives, they should give up their minor Cannot marry daughters.” He wondered how Bengali-speaking Muslims could claim to be indigenous if they encroached on the land of ‘Satra’ (Vaishnav monastery).
Instead of sending children to madrassas, make children doctors-engineers: CM Sarma
CM Sarma further said, “If you want to be called a native, then instead of sending your children to madrassas, educate them and make them doctors and engineers.” He said that they should also start sending their daughters to school and they should get rights over their father’s property.
The Chief Minister further said, “These are the differences between them and the natives of the state. If they give up these practices and can adopt the culture of the Assamese people, they too can become natives.”
63 percent Muslims of Assam are Bengali speaking.
In fact, in 2022, the Assam Cabinet recognized about 40 lakh Assamese language Muslims of the state as ‘Indigenous Assamese Muslims’. These included those Muslims who had no history of migrating from Bangladesh to the state. In this way they were considered the original inhabitants, but because of this the Muslim society of the state got divided into two parts. The second part was of Bengali speaking Muslims, who have 63 percent share in the total Muslim population of the state.