BJP blames ‘influx’ from Bangladesh for the rise in Muslim population in Assam

The 2011 census data on religion released by the Indian government on Tuesday has once again sparked fears of a ‘demographic invasion’ in the state of Assam.

Political parties in the state have again started raising the issue of Bangladeshi influx ahead of the 2016 Assam State Assembly elections.
 
In India, between 2001 and 2011, the Muslim population increased by 0.8 percent and the total Muslim population increased from 13.8 crore in 2001 to 17.22 crore in 2011.
 
But the decadal Muslim growth rate in the country has declined sharply from 32.49 percent during 1951-1961 to 24.60 during 2001-2011. The Muslim growth rate was highest during 1981-1991 with 32.88 percent.
 
In Assam, Muslim population was 30.9 percent in 2001 which has increased to 34.2 percent in 2011.
 
At the same time, however, the Hindu population decreased by 4.4 percent from 64.9 percent to 61.5 percent in the state.
 
However, the decadal growth rate of Muslim since is not readily available.
 
After these figures came out, the BJP was quick to attribute the increase in Muslim population to influx from Bangladesh.
 
The All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), which is perceived as a pro-minority party, is of the opinion that the increase is simply the result of a natural process.
 
According to general secretary of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Assam unit, Vijay Gupta, the growth in the number of Muslims in the state is clearly the result of illegal influx of Bangladeshis.
 
He claims it is a serious matter, not only for the BJP, since it is a national concern.
 
The BJP leader said that the children who were born as a part of the natural process could not exhibit such a drastic increase in percentage.
 
“If someone is claiming that such a massive growth in population is the result of natural process, they are completely wrong.
 
“Even today, Muslims from Bangladesh are coming here and this is the reason why the Muslim population in Assam is increasing at such an alarming rate,” he claimed.
 
AIUDF MLA Abdur Rahim Khan, on the other hand, accused the BJP of being anti-Muslim.
 
He said because of its anti-minority stand, the BJP’s was trying to make the state's Muslim population growth an issue even though the growth was merely the result of a natural process.
 
According to the legislator, the BJP needs to see what the total Muslim population was in 1971 when Bangladesh was created and what it is now.
 
 “If the BJP can provide that data then all the confusion that the party has about Muslims will disappear,” he said.
 
Criticising both the central and the state governments, the MLA said both these had been adopting a softer stand on the issue of Hindu Bengali refugees from Bangladesh although when it came to the Muslims, they directly declared them as Bangladeshis.
 
When asked if the AIUDF was against according refugee status to Hindu Bengali migrants, the legislator said that the issue was not that of Hindus or Muslims.
 
"Our party wants decisions to be made considering 1971 as the base year."
 
He said the people who came to India after March 24 (midnight), 1971 from Bangladesh should not be given citizenships, irrespective of them being Hindu or Muslim.
 
He even said that more Hindus had come from Bangladesh to India than Muslims.
 
Head of Assam Public Works, an NGO, Abhijit Sharma said the census data only vindicated their fear.
 
“The indigenous Assamese are now apprehensive that the illegal infiltration of Muslims to Assam from Bangladesh will threaten their very existence,” he said.
 
He said 10 years ago, there were 4,01,111 additional voters in Assam's electoral rolls, and everyone knew where they came from.
 
The Congress-led state government, meanwhile, has questioned the very working mechanisms of the agencies that brought out such religion-based census under a “non-secular” BJP-led Central government.