Rohingyas pose demographic invasion threat, says Assam CM Himanta

NEW DELHI: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said Rohingya infiltration into India has significantly increased, posing a threat of demographic invasion.Calling it a "real" and "serious" issue, the Assam CM said the infiltration is taking place mainly through the India-Bangladesh border.''Rohingyas are continuously coming into India using the India-Bangladesh border and many states are suffering from the demographic invasion'', Himanta Biswa Sarma was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.Himanta alleged that the West Bengal and Jharkhand governments are soft on these infiltrators and have taken no action to stop them.''Assam is no longer a safe haven for Rohingyas as we do not follow a soft policy. Our situation is better than West Bengal and Jharkhand and has not worsened since the BJP government has come to power'', the Chief Minister added.The Assam CM also lashed out at Mamata Banerjee, his West Bengal counterpart over the issue.''In fact, West Bengal's Chief Minister gave a statement that the state will give shelter to those coming from Bangladesh which even the government of the neighbouring country has not endorsed'', he said.Assam is guarding only a part of the Indo-Bangladesh border but a large area is still porous, Himanta said.Assam and Tripura governments have taken strong steps in this matter with police in both the states arresting several Rohingya infiltrators on several occasions, he said.A few days ago, Himanta claimed that the Muslim community will become the majority in the state by 2041. Substantiating his claims, the Assam CM said the Muslim population in the state is growing around 30 per cent every decade, which is nearly double the Hindu population growth of 16 per cent. Himanta said Muslims have now become 40 per cent of Assam's population as per "statistical sampling". "By 2041, Assam will become a Muslim-majority state. It's a reality and nobody can stop it," the Assam CM said, according to news agency PTI.