‘Congress is just a party for Miyas, apart from them no one will vote’: Himanta Biswa Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma launched a sharp political attack on the Congress party on February 3, declaring that the opposition has reduced itself to a single-community outfit with no prospect of winning votes beyond 'Miyas' ahead of the state's assembly elections later this year.

Speaking to reporters, Sarma stated bluntly that "Congress is just a party for Miyas" and that no other group of voters would support them. He framed the upcoming polls as a defining moment for the state, saying that the people of Assam had reached a point of no return in their resolve to resist what he called illegal encroachment on their land.

"Assamese people are also ready to fight. They won't let the Miya party capture Assam," he said.

The remarks came as eviction operations continued to expand across the state. Sarma confirmed that bulldozers were actively operating in Hailakandi even as he addressed the press, clearing encroachments across 2,500 bighas of land. He noted that the government had already reclaimed two lakh bighas since the drives began, pointing to the scale of what his administration considers a long-overdue land recovery effort.

The chief minister issued a firm warning to those he accused of illegally occupying government and community land. "No one can remain in peace by illegally occupying Assamese land," he told reporters.

The eviction drives have been a defining feature of the Sarma-led government since 2021 and remain deeply contentious. Critics, including opposition leaders and civil rights groups, have accused the BJP administration of disproportionately targeting Bengali-speaking Muslims, many of whom are long-term residents displaced by river erosion. The Supreme Court has previously intervened, issuing orders restricting demolitions without its prior approval.

With the 2026 assembly elections drawing closer, the language surrounding these operations has grown sharper on all sides, turning land and identity into the central fault lines of the campaign.