Congress’ Appeasement Politics Altered Assam’s Demography, Says BJP Leader Mominul Aowal

BJP spokesperson Mominul Aowal on Monday accused the Congress party of encouraging people of the Islamic faith to deviate from their religious principles and engage in large-scale land encroachment across Assam.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP State Headquarters, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Bhawan in Guwahati, Aowal alleged that during the Congress regime, people of East Bengal origin had “illegally occupied vast tracts of government, forest, and satra lands,” severely impacting the indigenous Assamese community.

“If we look at the consequences of Congress’ instigation, illegal migrants of East Bengal origin spread across the state, intruding upon the language, culture, history, satras, temples, monasteries, and educational institutions of the indigenous Assamese people. This has pushed our community into a serious crisis,” Aowal said.

According to data cited by Aowal, approximately 63,58,779 bighas of land—including PGR (Professional Grazing Reserve), VGR (Village Grazing Reserve), forest areas, wetlands, and satra lands—were encroached upon during the Congress tenure, altering the state’s demographic structure.

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Aowal claimed that the Congress treated “East Bengal-origin Muslims—who pose a threat to our culture and civilisation—as more valuable than the indigenous people of Assam,” adding that several districts in Lower Assam had witnessed Hindus turning into a minority.

In Barpeta district alone, he said, 19,993 bighas, 1 katha, and 10 lechas of land remain under encroachment. The encroached land includes:

• Barpeta Revenue Circle: 2,908 bighas 3 kathas 18 lechas

• Sarthebari Revenue Circle: 3,883 bighas 3 kathas 8 lechas

• Chenga Revenue Circle: 570 bighas 2 kathas 2 lechas

• Barnagar Revenue Circle: 2,649 bighas 2 kathas 4 lechas

• Kalagachia Revenue Circle: 983 bighas 4 lechas

• Baghbor Revenue Circle: 7,590 bighas 2 kathas

• Sarukhetri Revenue Circle: 111 bighas 18 lechas

• Bajali Revenue Circle: 1,296 bighas 3 kathas 16 lechas

Additionally, in Barpeta’s wetlands and water bodies, 3,228 bighas 2 kathas 2 lechas of land remain encroached, Aowal claimed.

He further alleged that similar patterns of encroachment were witnessed in South Salmara, Dhubri, Goalpara, Nagaon, Morigaon, Bongaigaon, Hojai, and several other districts.

The BJP spokesperson also alleged that 15,580 bighas of satra land had been encroached upon, and that satradhikars had faced incidents of violence, including “murder, robbery, and sexual assault.”

Aowal warned that the “appeasement politics” of the Congress had emboldened “armed groups of East Bengal-origin Muslims” to attack indigenous Assamese people, extending the threat even to Upper Assam.

Citing the 2011 Census, Aowal said that the Muslim population in Assam, which stood at around 12% in 1947, had now risen to 37–38%, describing it as a “deliberate political and demographic conspiracy.”

He highlighted that several districts—South Salmara (95.2%), Dhubri (83.67%), Goalpara (57.52%), Bongaigaon (50.22%), Barpeta (70.74%), Morigaon (52.56%), Nagaon (55.36%), Darrang (64.34%), Hojai (53.65%), Hailakandi (60.31%), and Karimganj (56.36%)—have become Muslim-majority areas, while others such as Cachar, Nalbari, Kokrajhar, Chirang, and Kamrup are witnessing rapid demographic shifts.

“This transformation is not merely numerical—it poses a serious challenge to our cultural, political, and economic interests,” Aowal concluded.