Assam CM
GUWAHATI: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma accused activist Harsh Mander, Congress, Jamaat-e-Islami-Hind, a senior advocate, and “people from Pakistan and Bangladesh” of attempting to destabilise the state.”Some people have been visiting different parts of the state since Saturday to spread unrest. Their movements are under strict watch to ensure they do not succeed the way they did during NRC,” he said Sunday in Margherita, where an eviction drive is planned amid reports of 10,000-12,000 unidentified settlers.He alleged these groups aim to paint legal eviction drives as a “humanitarian crisis” and vowed, “No propaganda or pressure will stop us from protecting our land and culture. We must remain united to defeat this conspiracy.”BJP demanded the arrest of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind functionary Mahmood Madani, accusing him of “insulting” the Assamese community by allegedly comparing state-led eviction drives with the Israel-Palestine conflict in Gaza.BJP state spokesperson Jayanta Kumar Goswami said Madani’s remark was “an attack on the self-respect of the Assamese people” and claimed that Madani was viewing Assam’s land issues solely “through the lens of the Muslim community”. He urged state police to arrest Madani and ensure “appropriate punishment for his anti-Assam remarks”.Goswami also took a swipe at the opposition, saying if a future govt involving Congress, AIUDF, Raijor Dal and Asom Jatiya Parishad took office, Madani could emerge as a key advisor and “facilitate the dominance of infiltrators over indigenous Assamese Hindus, Muslims and Indian-origin citizens”.Chief minister Sarma called the eviction push essential for protecting Assamese identity and land rights of indigenous groups.Assam has carried out a series of high-intensity land-clearing operations – framed by govt as an anti-encroachment campaign and by critics as mass displacement before assembly polls in 2026.On Aug 17, 175 bighas of grazing land in Biswanath district were cleared, displacing more than 300 families. Violence flared on July 17 in Goalpara’s Paikan reserve forest, where a 19-year-old youth was killed after more than 2,500 homes and eight mosques were razed.
