Guwahati (Assam) [India], August 24 : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday claimed that a Delhi-based team is camping in the State with the aim to paint lawful evictions as so-called "humanitarian crisis".
In a post on X, Sarma said "After Jamaat-e-Hind's outburst demanding my dismissal yesterday, a Delhi-based team -- Harsh Mander, Wajahat Habibullah, Fayaz Shaheen, Prashant Bhushan, and Jawahar Sircar is now camping in Assam."
"This is nothing but a planned attempt to weaken our fight against illegal encroachers. We are alert and firm, no propaganda or pressure will stop us from protecting our land and culture," he added.
https://x.com/himantabiswa/status/1959573540237398508
The Chief Minister on Sunday told mediapersons at Margherita that, "To spread unrest in Assam, a few individuals have been moving across the state since yesterday. Since yesterday, Harsh Mander and Prashant Bhushan have been visiting different parts of the state. Another group, including Jawahar Sircar, Wajahat Habibullah, and Fayaz Shaheen, has been visiting different districts of lower Assam since yesterday. They only met the leaders of the minority community, Jamiat-e-Islami, and they are trying to create an unrest atmosphere in Assam.
"As during the NRC time, these people came to Assam, disrupted the NRC, and failed, similarly, they have begun another attempt. We are monitoring their movements, just as they succeeded during NRC, but this time the government is determined and watching to make sure that they don't succeed."
Sarma further said that Congress, Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind, Prashant Bhushan, Harsh Mander, like intellectuals and some elements from Bangladesh and Pakistan are working to weaken Assam.
"We all Assamese and Indians must remain united to defeat this conspiracy," the Assam Chief Minister said.
The Jamaat-e-Hind has demanded the removal of Sarma and also that he be booked under hate speech laws following the recent eviction drives in the State, which the organisatioin has claimed as being conducted in an "inhuman and discriminatory manner."