Assam's future will be secured when Himanta quits, Khera takes dig at CM's 'population imbalance' remark

New Delhi, Aug 16 (IANS) Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera on Friday took strong objection to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's remarks on the growing "population imbalance" in the northeastern state and rendered a "harsh" advice to the latter for "securing" the future of the state.

"If Himanta Sarma is so worried about the future of Assam, he should step down as the Chief Minister. This will alone secure the future of Assam. People of the state will also thank him for this," Pawan Khera told IANS.

Khera’s sharp condemnation comes on the back of Assam CM’s remarks on Independence Day where he said that he is "worried" about the state's demographic imbalance as the population of Hindus was on a decline and those of Muslims on an uptrend.

In his Independence Day speech, Sarma highlighted that the indigenous people of Assam are "increasingly turning into a minority" in 12-13 districts due to demographic changes.

"The Hindu-Muslim population balance is declining fast. The Hindu population, which once constituted 60-65 per cent of the state, has now dropped to around 57 per cent while the Muslim population has risen to 41 per cent in 2021. The future of Assam is not secure for us," he said in the speech, while also stressing that only a strong government could address the fear and anxiety of the indigenous people.

The Congress national spokesperson, in conversation with IANS, also accused the Centre of getting caught unaware over a tumultuous shift in its neighbourhood, referring to Bangladesh's political turmoil followed by a coup.

He claimed that the intelligence agencies as well as the government were caught napping over severe crisis brimming and exploding in the neighbourhood. He said that the Hindu minorities in the trouble-torn country are "crying for help but the Centre is looking the other way".

He further accused the Central government of keeping the countrymen "agitated" over laws like CAA and added that it was doing nothing to safeguard the interests of minorities in neighbouring countries, as mandated in the much-touted law.