Assam CM accuses activists of conspiracy to destabilise state amid eviction drives

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has accused prominent activists and civil rights leaders of orchestrating a campaign to create unrest in Assam, alleging they are working with Pakistani and Bangladeshi elements to weaken the state.

Speaking to the media, Sarma claimed that activists, including Harsh Mander and lawyer Prashant Bhushan, have been touring the state since yesterday, exclusively meeting minority community leaders to foster an atmosphere of instability.

"Since yesterday, a few individuals have been moving across Assam to spread unrest. Harsh Mander and Prashant Bhushan have been visiting different places since yesterday," Sarma stated. He also named another group, including Johar Sirkar, Wajed Habibullah, and Fayaz Shahin as touring the lower Assam districts.

The Chief Minister drew parallels to the National Register of Citizens (NRC) process, suggesting similar tactics were being employed. "Like how these people came during the NRC and disrupted it. Similarly, they have begun another attempt," he said, adding that the government was closely monitoring their activities.

Sarma alleged the activists were specifically engaging with Jamiat-e-Islami to create unrest, and claimed social media accounts supporting such activities originated from Pakistan and Bangladesh. "In Assam, Congress, Jamaat-e-Islam-e-Hind, Prashant Bhushan, intellectuals like Harsh Mander, along with elements from Bangladesh and Pakistan, are becoming active to weaken Assam," he declared.

The allegations come as the state BJP has demanded the arrest of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind leader Mahmood Madani over comments linking Assam's eviction drives to situations in Gaza and Palestine. The party described these remarks as an insult to Assamese self-respect.

Meanwhile, BJP spokesperson Jayanta Kumar Goswami accused Madani of viewing "Assam's problems only through the lens of the Muslim community" and called for police action. He defended the government's eviction drives as necessary measures to protect indigenous rights and remove encroachers from government and forest lands.

Goswami warned of potential consequences if opposition parties formed a future government, claiming leaders like Arshad Madani and Mahmood Madani could become political advisors, resulting in "dominance of infiltrators."

The BJP has accused Congress and its allies of promoting what it terms "Madani culture" in Assam, alleging this undermines indigenous Assamese interests.

Sarma concluded with a call for unity: "We all must remain united to defeat this conspiracy."