"If Population Is Not Checked In Lower Assam...": Himanta Biswa Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma today stirred controversy in the Assembly when he said that the state will face severe issues if the population is not checked in some areas. He also brushed aside the pleas by Opposition parties against the eviction drives taking place in the state.

“If people of lower Assam do not do family planning, it will be difficult for us to survive after 50 years. There are eight to twelve children in a family" Mr Sarma said while taking part in a zero-hour discussion.

Lower Assam areas have a huge Bengali-speaking Muslim population.

The Assam Chief Minister made the remarks after Congress MLA Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha raised the issue of a massive eviction drive earlier this week at Batadrava in the state's Nagaon district.

Earlier this week, more than 5,000 "encroachers" were evicted from government land in the vicinity of the birthplace of Assam's medieval Vashnavite saint Shankardev.

A team of Congress leaders visited the site on Tuesday.

The chief minister also informed the House that many ousted people, who were actually landless, have been given land `pattas' (ownership documents) in different places by the government after verification of their credentials.

"All people, whether Hindus or Muslims will have to vacate Sattra lands. We request encroachers to leave or else we will carry out eviction there," he added.

Several eviction drives were carried out in the state since the BJP-led government returned to power in Assam. One of the biggest exercises was at Gorukhuti in Darrang district in September last year in which two persons were shot dead by the police and over 20 others were injured.