Guwahati/Kolkata: The turmoil in Bangladesh is seemingly having an impact on the political landscape in eastern India with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders of the bordering states of Assam and West Bengal referring to the situation, and asserting that ‘Hindus are in danger’ in the Muslim-majority country.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that while the government is focusing on the border with Bangladesh, his mind wavers to the “future of Assam in 2041”.
“In these uncertain times, when we are watching our border with Bangladesh, my mind often travels to the future of Assam in 2041 — I pray for strength and endurance to go through the present with courage…,” Sarma wrote on X Wednesday.
“…Hoping that our efforts today will be the cornerstone of a brighter tomorrow. We will have the courage to protect our religion and culture,” he added.
এই অনিশ্চিত সময়ত, যেতিয়া আমি বাংলাদেশৰ সৈতে আমাৰ সীমান্তসমূহৰ ওপৰত লক্ষ্য ৰাখিছোঁ,- মোৰ মন প্ৰায়ে ২০৪১ চনৰ অসমৰ ভৱিষ্যতৰ দিশলৈ যাত্ৰা কৰে। মই বৰ্তমানৰ সময় সাহস ৰে সৈতে পাৰ কৰিবলৈ শক্তি আৰু সহনশীলতাৰ প্রার্থনা কৰোঁ। আশা কৰি যে আজিৰ আমাৰ প্ৰচেষ্টা এটা উজ্জ্বল কাইলৈৰ মূলস্থম্ভ…
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) August 7, 2024
Earlier, Sarma had said that 2041 is the year when Muslim population will equal the majority Hindu population in the state.
West Bengal BJP spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya, at the same time, has said that the day is not far when what happened in Bangladesh “can happen in Bengal” if the people do not become “aware”.
“That is why we brought the Citizenship Amendment Act here in Bengal — the majority population needs to understand this,” Bhattacharya told the media outside Parliament Wednesday.
“TMC (Trinamool Congress) and CPIM (Communist Party of India (Marxist)) stood up for the students who were leading the protest. They spoke out in their support. Now, the Hindus are in danger and they have kept quiet. Now that politics is done, no need to stand up for Hindus?” Bengal BJP leader Dilip Ghosh wrote on X.
1.1 If we look at the history of #Bangladesh over the last 50 or 60 years, we will see that whenever there has been a movement on any issue, the minority Bengali Hindus have been subjected to atrocities. Even now, Hindus are very afraid and terrorized there. pic.twitter.com/TeT4IsKBDU
— Dilip Ghosh (Modi Ka Parivar) (@DilipGhoshBJP) August 7, 2024
The BJP leaders’ remarks come at a time when Sheikh Hasina, who resigned as the prime minister of Bangladesh and fled her country amid violent protests, has taken shelter in India.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said at an all-party meeting Tuesday that the government is giving her time to recover before inquiring about her future plans. Speaking in Parliament later, he also expressed concern about the protection of minorities in Bangladesh.
Also Read: Non-essential staff returns from Bangladesh to India. Diplomats remain, High Commission functional
Bangladesh ‘safe haven for NE militant groups’
Addressing reporters in Golaghat district Wednesday after attending the Passing Out Parade of Assam Forest Protection Force constables, the chief minister of Assam expressed concern about Bangladesh once again turning into a “safe haven for Northeast militant groups”.
“What happened in Bangladesh is worrying for us from two angles — if the unrest continues, some people in Bangladesh would look at entering India. So, we have to strengthen our borders. During Sheikh Hasina’s rule, northeast insurgent groups were dismantled from Bangladesh. Our worry is if Bangladesh becomes a safe haven for northeast insurgent groups yet again,” Sarma said.
Last month, Sarma had said the Muslim population in Assam is increasing by at least 30 percent every decade, and by 2041, Assam will become a Muslim-majority state. He attributed this to a statistical projection of Hindu-Muslim population according to the 2011 census and data of applicants for the National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise in the state.
“If you take a ride in Ola/Uber cab services in Guwahati, you would know that out of 10, nine belong to a particular religious community,” he told reporters in Guwahati last month.
Earlier in July, Sarma had warned Jharkhand against ‘ghuspaithiye’ (illegal immigrants), stating that the Muslim population in Assam has reached 40 percent while it was 12 percent in 1951.
Referring to the issue of infiltration in Assam, Sarma had said that “detection and deportation” of illegal immigrants is a responsibility of the state government.
“Assam is a border state. I deal with ‘ghuspaithiye’ (infiltrators) every day. The infiltrators first come to Assam, West Bengal and then proceed to Jharkhand, Bihar and Chhattisgarh,” he told reporters in Ranchi.
Stating that it is the responsibility of the Border Security Force (BSF) to check infiltrators when they cross the international border, Sarma had mentioned that it is the duty of the state government to detect and deport migrants.
(Edited by Radifah Kabir)
Also read: Sheikh Hasina’s fall will lead to rise of the only organised force in Bangladesh—religion