'Can’t drive out 70 lakh Bangladeshis, must create conditions for them to leave': Assam CM Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said that he cannot drive out around seven million “Miya Muslims”, a term he used to refer to alleged illegal Bangladeshi immigrants from the state in his lifetime, adding that’s why he instead wants to create “pressure and an environment” that will encourage those people to leave on their own.

Speaking at the Panchayat Aaj Tak in Guwahati, Sarma stated removing such a large number of people by force is “not humanly possible.”

“You cannot drive out 70 lakh people. There is no train in India that can take away 70 lakh people. It is not humanly possible,” he said. When asked that such an atmosphere is creating anxiety among the Assamese population, and fear that they indigenious population is going extinct, and that alleged immigrants are increasing.

He said that is exactly what he wants, reiterating that the approach should be to create pressure and an atmosphere where illegal immigrants feel they are not wanted. Sarma said, “Create an atmosphere where they understand ‘we don’t want you’.”

“We have to create an environment for them to leave. If someone feels unwanted at home, they eventually leave,” he said.

Sarma added that such a strategy has produced some results in the past five years, while stressing that people should not take the law into their own hands.

“Do not take the law into your hands. Do not physically harm anyone. I have never said ‘kill someone’. That is not allowed,” he said.

The Assam CM also said his election campaigns do not focus on attacking political opponents. He claimed that he avoids naming leaders such as Rahul Gandhi, Gaurav Gogoi, Badruddin Ajmal, and Akhil Gogoi in his speeches. He also said that in any of his election campaigns, he did not use the word “Miya”.

Instead, Sarma said his campaign style focuses on positive messaging, adding that he doesn’t want to turn the election campaign into an emotional one. “I dance and sing during campaigns. Our campaign songs are positive. I do not want to convert elections into emotional issues,” he said.