Chasing Bangladeshis out of Assam: Himanta in Mirzapur

Varanasi: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma expressed doubt that former chief of Assam Congress, Bhupesh Borah, would change his decision and return to the party. Talking to reporters after offering prayers at the Vindhyachal temple in Mirzapur on Monday night, Himanta claimed Borah had contacted him on Monday evening.
Reacting to developments in Assam politics, especially after Borah's announcement of resignation, Himanta said, "If Borah was planning to go back to Congress, why would he have invited me for talks," adding, "Borah was the only Hindu in Congress and now, he too has quit."Himanta described Assam's demographic situation as delicate, claiming Muslim population in the state had reached 40%, of which, only 4% were Indians, while majority had migrated from Bangladesh, during Congress rule. "I chase 100 to 150 Bangladeshis out of Assam daily, but their number is very high. We removed encroachment by people of Bangladeshi origin from 50,000 acres of land in Assam in 5 years. The next target is to free 1.5 lakh acres out of the total 10 lakh acres encroached in the state," said Himanta. Terming Mani Shankar Aiyer's ‘Rahulvadi' remarks an internal issue, Himanta said "No one could be a Rahulvadi, as Rahul Gandhi is mentally ill and needs treatment." Reacting to calls to equate Shivaji Maharaj with Tipu Sultan, he said Tipu Sultan killed Hindus, while Shivaji Maharaj was protector of Hindus and added that those making such comparisons lacked knowledge of history. Regarding his allegations of Pakistan connection of Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, Himanta said he gave all evidence in this regard to govt of India.On construction of a mosque in Murshidabad of West Bengal in the name of Babar, he said an expelled MLA of TMC was building Babri Masjid, which is just a dummy, as the original was demolished. He offered prayers at Kal Bhairav and Kashi Vishwanath temples in Varanasi before leaving for Guwahati on Tuesday morning.