'Fighting Muslim Infiltration, Not Dividing': Assam CM Counters Mamata's Bengali Threat Claim

Last Updated:July 19, 2025, 16:42 IST

Sarma said Assam was not fighting its own people but resisting “ongoing, unchecked Muslim infiltration” from across the border

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. (PTI photos)

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday hit back at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over her allegations that the BJP government in Assam is “threatening" Bengali-speaking people in the state.

Mamata accused the Assam government of targeting Bengali-speaking citizens who want to live peacefully while respecting all languages and religions. She said the BJP’s “divisive agenda" in Assam had “crossed all limits" and called the treatment of Bengali speakers discriminatory and unconstitutional.

In a post on X, Mamata wrote that Bengali is the second most spoken language in Assam and that those upholding their mother tongue were being persecuted.

“To threaten citizens, who want to coexist peacefully respecting all languages and religions, with persecution for upholding their own mother tongue is discriminatory and unconstitutional," the West Bengal CM wrote.

She declared her support for all citizens fighting for the dignity of their language, identity, and democratic rights. “I stand with every fearless citizen who is fighting for the dignity of their language and identity, and their democratic rights."

Responding to Mamata’s claims, Sarma said Assam was not fighting its own people but resisting “ongoing, unchecked Muslim infiltration" from across the border, which has caused a major demographic shift.

He warned that in some districts, Hindus were on the verge of becoming a minority. “This is not a political narrative—it’s a reality. Even the Supreme Court of India has termed such infiltration as external aggression. And yet, when we rise to defend our land, culture, and identity, you choose to politicize it," Sarma added.

Assam CM also accused Mamata of politicising the issue and claimed she had “compromised Bengal’s future" by encouraging illegal encroachment and appeasing one community for vote banks.

He stated that Assam respected all languages and communities, including Assamese, Bangla, Bodo, and Hindi, and that the state was only protecting its borders and cultural identity.

“Assam will continue to fight to preserve its heritage, its dignity, and its people—with courage and constitutional clarity," the BJP leader noted.

On Thursday, Sarma had questioned Mamata’s concern, asking if she cared only about “Muslim-Bengalis" and warning that the Assamese people and Hindu Bengalis in Assam “will not spare her" if she tried to interfere.

Mamata had also organised a protest march in Kolkata on Wednesday against what she called the “torture" of Bengali-speaking people in BJP-ruled states.

(With inputs from PTI)

Assam | West Bengal, India

News politics 'Fighting Muslim Infiltration, Not Dividing': Assam CM Counters Mamata's Bengali Threat Claim