"If Bapu was alive today, he’d stand with Assam": Himanta Biswa Sarma defends anti-infiltration stand amid Miya row

Amid a sharp political and ideological face-off triggered by his remarks on “Miya Muslims”, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday invoked Mahatma Gandhi to defend his government’s stand against illegal immigration, asserting that protecting Assam’s identity and constitutional rights cannot be equated with hatred or communalism.

Responding to criticism from Mahatma Gandhi’s great-grandson, Tushar Gandhi, Sarma said that if Gandhi were alive today, he would have stood with the Assamese people in their fight against illegal infiltration. The Chief Minister maintained that history itself bears testimony to Gandhi’s role in safeguarding Assam’s territorial integrity during the Partition era.

“If Bapu was alive today, he would have stood with the Assamese people. History shows that his intervention saved Assam from becoming part of Pakistan. Standing up against illegal infiltration is not hatred — it is about protecting the rights, identity and future of the Assamese people,” Sarma said in a post on X.

Rejecting Tushar Gandhi’s suggestion that he would have been removed from office in “Bapu’s India”, Sarma said elected governments in a democracy are changed only through elections, not through intimidation, pressure or attempts to unseat a constitutional authority.

“Let me answer you very clearly: governments in a democracy are changed by the people through elections, not by threats or attempts to pull down an elected Chief Minister,” he added.

Tushar Gandhi had earlier lashed out at Sarma over his comments on “Miya Muslims”, stating that such remarks were antithetical to Gandhi’s ideals. He also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of encouraging divisive politics.

The exchange comes against the backdrop of growing criticism of Sarma’s recent remarks, in which he used the term “Miya” while referring to alleged illegal immigration from Bangladesh — comments that have drawn sharp reactions from opposition parties and civil society groups.

Defending his position, the Assam Chief Minister cited observations of the Supreme Court to argue that concerns over demographic change in the state are neither imagined nor politically motivated.

“Those attacking me for my remarks should pause and read what the Supreme Court of India itself has said about Assam. This is not my language, not my imagination, and not political exaggeration,” Sarma said.

Quoting from the 2005 Sarbananda Sonowal case, Sarma referred to warnings about what he described as a “silent and invidious demographic invasion” of Assam, particularly in lower Assam districts, and its potential implications for national security and the Northeast’s geographical continuity.

However, the Congress hit back strongly. Assam MP Gaurav Gogoi accused the Chief Minister of misusing the Supreme Court’s name to legitimise what he called divisive rhetoric.

“Dishonesty and shamelessness define Himanta Biswa Sarma’s politics. He is misusing the name of the Hon’ble Supreme Court. The language he quotes was neither authored nor adopted by the Court,” Gogoi said.

Calling the move “deliberate contempt”, Gogoi alleged that Sarma was passing off an executive report as a judicial pronouncement to suit his political narrative.