Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday asserted that Miyas, a term coined for Bangladeshi origin Muslim are living in the state and said the BJP has filed nearly five lakh complaints during the ongoing Special Revision (SR) of electoral rolls, terming the exercise a “national responsibility” to identify foreigners.
Speaking to reporters in Sivasagar, Sarma claimed that several “unknown people”, who were not earlier present in Assam, are now residing across a number of Upper Assam districts. He said that if individuals who have recently entered the state receive notices during the SR process, it would clearly establish their status as foreigners.
Referring to the term “Miya”, the Chief Minister said it was once used as a pejorative reference to Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam but is now being openly adopted by some members of the community, including activists, as a form of assertion. Sarma alleged that such claims were being made by “doubtful” individuals and said the Election Commission would examine all complaints submitted during the revision process.
Maintaining that identifying foreigners is not the BJP’s responsibility alone, Sarma said every political party should actively participate in the SR exercise. He accused opposition parties of failing to file objections and instead attempting to project that there are no Bangladeshi nationals in Assam.
“The BJP is against foreigners, and it works accordingly. Our workers have filed complaints because they believe foreigners are present in the state,” he said. Citing official figures, Sarma said Assam recorded a 1.35 per cent rise in voters as per the integrated draft electoral roll published on December 30 after the Special Revision.
He alleged that “Bangladeshi Miyas” have entered districts such as Duliajan, Sarupathar and Golaghat in recent years and claimed that land purchases by such individuals have increased in areas like Tinsukia. Recalling past demographic perceptions, the Chief Minister said Tinsukia was earlier believed to be dominated by Hindi and Bengali-speaking residents, but alleged that the number of “unknown Bangladeshi Miyas” has now grown substantially.
“So, no place is safe in Assam,” he remarked. According to Sarma, the draft roll lists 2,52,01,624 electors, with 78,684 additions and 4,47,196 deletions. During the SR, 4,78,992 deceased voters and 5,23,680 shifted voters were identified, along with 53,619 cases of multiple entries.
He said deletions or corrections would only take place after applications during the claims and objections period, with the final electoral roll scheduled for publication on February 10.
(IANS)
