Guwahati : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said that his mind often imagines about the scenario of 2041 in the state.

This statement comes after the violent protests in the neighbouring country Bangladesh that has taken toll on a number of lives and temples have been vandalized in the country.

Sarma, in a post on X, said, “In these uncertain times, as we guard our borders with Bangladesh, my mind often turns to the Assam of the future, 2041.”

“I pray for strength and patience to sail through the present, with hope that our efforts today will lay the foundation for a brighter tomorrow. May we find the courage to protect our religion and culture,” he wrote.

Himanta Biswa Sarma recently claimed that the Muslim population in Assam is growing by 30 per cent every 10 years and there is a high chance that people following this religion will become a majority in the state.

“In 2011, 1.4 crore Muslims were there in Assam. By 2041, Assam will become a Muslim-majority state. It’s a reality and nobody can stop it,” Sarma asserted.

According to the 2011 census, Assam had a total Muslim population of 1.07 crore, making up 34.22 per cent of the total 3.12 crore residents.  

There were 1.92 crore Hindus in Assam, around 61.47 per cent of the total population.

“In every 10 years, the Muslim population rises by 11 lakh in Assam… This is not Himanta Biswa Sarma’s data, but Indian census data. These are all published data,” he said.

He also said that the state government has been taking steps to reduce the population growth among the Muslim community of Assam.

The chief minister of Assam expressed hope the Nijut Moina scheme will help in reducing population growth among the Muslim community.

Under this scheme, the Assam government will give monthly stipend of up to Rs 2,500 to girl students from Class 11 to post-graduation altogether for the next five years, aiming to prevent child marriages.

“If the ‘Nijut Moina’ scheme succeeds, girls will become doctors and also engineers. They will not give birth to children then,” he said