‘Miyas can have peace only if I’m removed from chief minister's chair’: Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma delivered a stark message to suspected illegal immigrants on November 20, declaring they would find no peace in the state as long as he remains in power.

 

“As long as I am the chief minister, no Miya can rest in peace. That is final,” Sarma said, using a term that refers to Bengali-speaking Muslims in Assam. “The only way the Miya community can attain peace is to remove me from the CM’s chair.”

 

The chief minister's remarks came as eviction operations concluded in Goalpara, with similar drives planned for Nagaon within the next two to three days. Sarma made clear that his government's crackdown on suspected illegal residents would intensify in response to criticism.

 

He added that it was his “job to punish” those he considers illegal settlers and claimed they would “continue to bear the pain and cry in front of the media” with “no other way out.”

 

Sarma warned that those attending opposition gatherings would face similar treatment, saying suspected illegal immigrants would find “no peace” whether they came to his events or those organised by opposition figures, including musician Zubeen Garg, Congress leaders Gaurav Gogoi and Rakibul Hussain.

 

The chief minister suggested that silence towards his BJP government might offer some reprieve, noting: “It's a different thing if they don't speak against the BJP government.” However, he emphasised that suspected illegal immigrants would continue facing eviction drives regardless.

 

“The more they give statements, the more the eviction,” Sarma declared, linking the intensity of government action directly to public criticism of his administration's policies.