‘Natun Bor Asom’ a dangerous slogan: Himanta Biswa Sarma accuses Congress of appeasing ‘Miya’ votes

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on January 31  mounted a sharp attack on the Congress over its slogan ‘Natun Bor Asom’ (New Greater Assam), questioning whether the party’s vision of a new Assam includes illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. 

He demanded that the Congress and state party chief Gaurav Gogoi clearly explain what they mean by the slogan, which is being aggressively used ahead of the Assembly elections.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a Me-Dam-Me-Phi celebration in Guwahati, Sarma said the concept of Bor Asom was established over 600 years ago by Swargadeo Chaolung Siu-Ka-Pha, the founder of the Ahom dynasty. “What is this ‘Natun Bor Asom’? What does it mean?” he asked, adding that the Congress slogan appeared to suggest redefining Assamese identity.

“Perhaps their idea of ‘Natun Bor Asom’ is to include illegal Bangladeshis into Assamese society,” the Chief Minister said. He described the slogan as “dangerous” and claimed he noticed it painted on the walls of a Congress office while travelling to the event. “No one seems to have noticed how dangerous this slogan is,” he remarked.

Later, addressing reporters after another programme at Khumtai in Golaghat district, Sarma reiterated his criticism, stating that while one could speak of a “new, developed Assam”, the Congress was attempting to redefine Assamese identity by including ‘Miyas’, a term he used to refer to Bangladeshi infiltrators. “We understand the Bor Asom of Chaolung Siu-Ka-Pha. But the Congress wants to build its Natun Asom by including Miyas,” he alleged.

The Chief Minister claimed that if the BJP were not in power, the Congress would have “sold Assam” to the Miyas. Accusing the community of encroaching on satras, land and indulging in what he termed “love jihad” and “fertiliser jihad”, Sarma said the Congress has forgotten the Assamese people and is focused solely on appeasing Miya voters.

“If someone speaks against Asomiyas, the Congress has no problem. But if anything is said against Miyas, they create an uproar,” Sarma said, asserting that by ‘Miya’ he meant Bangladeshi infiltrators. “Congress and Gaurav Gogoi have gone mad for Miya votes. I will fight them with all my strength because this is a matter of life and death for the Assamese people,” he added.

The Chief Minister also called upon Assamese society to unite, claiming that people have understood the political implications of the slogan and the larger debate around identity, immigration and electoral politics in the state.

The remarks have once again intensified Assam’s charged political discourse, with identity, migration and electoral mobilisation emerging as central themes in the run-up to the Assembly polls.