Guwahati (Assam) [India], July 13 : Amid criticisms of the eviction drive carried out by the BJP-led Assam government to evict the encroachers from the government lands, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that there is a concerted effort to change the demography of the state's constituencies.
"From our recent eviction experience, we have seen that people originally from districts 400 km away have encroached upon lands in predominantly Hindu constituencies. There is a concerted effort to change the demography of our constituencies," Sarma said.
He further said, "When we go to conduct the eviction, a new fact has come to light. For example, the eviction drive in Goalpara has found that half of the people came from Barpeta and Bongaigaon districts. If I am landless, I will search for land in my district. During the eviction drive in Lakhimpur, it was seen that people had come from South Salmara and Karimganj (now Sribhumi) to Lakhimpur. When the eviction drive was carried out at Garukhuti, you had seen that many people had moved to Chhaygaon, Boko."
"Why do these people come to different districts, and do they come to the constituencies dominated by the majority people? There should be a proper study on it. Whether these people are coming due to poverty or whether someone is deliberately bringing them for vote, to our majority people dominated constituencies and someone bringing them to reduce our Assamese population to a minority," the Assam Chief Minister later added.
Meanwhile, on July 12, the administration carried out a massive eviction drive in the Paikan Reserve Forest area in Goalpara district and evicted 1080 families, demolished around 2700 structures that illegally encroached around 140 hectares of land of the reserve forest.
Earlier, the Assam government also carried out an eviction drive in Dhubri district.
In the Assam assembly, the state government had given the data of encroached lands of reserved forest areas in the state, and the data revealed that more than 3.35 lakh hectares of reserved forest lands have been encroached.
Opposition political parties, Congress and AIUDF, have criticised the state government for conducting the eviction drive and claimed that the genuine Indian citizens and landless people are being harassed.
On the other hand, the Assam State BJP underscores the headstrong commitment of the Assam government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, in reclaiming public land from illegal encroachment and repurposing it for the state's socio-economic advancement.
"This renewed administrative assertiveness signals a fundamental departure from prior governmental apathy and underscores a robust political commitment to preserving Assam's territorial sovereignty, cultural heritage, and demographic balance. According to data shared by the Chief Minister, an alarming 8 lakh bighas of government land across Assam continue to remain under unauthorised occupation. In a determined response to this challenge, the Government of Assam has, over the last four years, successfully freed approximately 1,20,000 bighas of land from the control of 25,000 encroachers. Over the past nine years, the BJP-led administration has prioritised the recovery of land belonging to Sattras (Vaishnavite monastic institutions), wildlife sanctuaries, and key public and national institutions," the state BJP said in a press statement.
It also stated that in a significant cultural and spiritual initiative, 130 bighas of land within the premises of the historic Batadrava Satra , the birthplace of Srimanta Sankardev,along with an additional 1,100 bighas in its vicinity, have been reclaimed from encroachers.
"A comprehensive cultural infrastructure project is presently underway at Batadrava, with the Assam Government investing Rs 186 crore to develop a modern complex on the now encroachment-free 180 bighas. The site will feature a central shrine (Guru Asana), a museum, and dedicated spaces showcasing the diverse cultural heritage of Assam's communities, as well as the literary and spiritual contributions of Guru Srimanta Sankardev. Equally notable is the reclamation of 7,800 bighas of land from illegal occupation in Gorukhuti, Sipajhar, on September 20 and 23, 2021. This site, formerly encroached upon, has since been transformed into the Gorukhuti Multipurpose Agricultural Project," an official said in a press release.
"Under the Government's stewardship, approximately 300 local youths have been engaged as agricultural entrepreneurs or 'Krishi Yodhas'. The project, which includes livestock rearing and cultivation of crops such as mustard, sesame, black gram, and pumpkin, recorded revenue generation of Rs 4.85 crore in the financial year 2024-25. In the conservation domain, eviction operations carried out in Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary have revitalised the sanctuary's ecological balance. As per Sanctuary Director Sonali Ghosh, the habitat restoration has led to the return of iconic species such as rhinoceroses, tigers, wild buffaloes, elephants, and deer, marking the resurgence of biodiversity in the area after nearly four decades," said in the press statement.
The state BJP also said in its press statement that, in Dhubri's Chapar region, nearly 4,000 bighas of encroachment-free land have been earmarked for a thermal power project to be developed by Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL).
"Once operational, the project is expected to generate over 20,000 direct employment opportunities, in addition to creating substantial indirect livelihood avenues for the region's youth. These initiatives collectively reflect the Assam Government's resolute commitment to good governance, cultural preservation, sustainable development, and ecological restoration," an official statement said.
According to an official statement, "Displaced and landless individuals, affected by evictions, have been relocating 200-300 kilometres away from their native villages and homes, often settling in regions predominantly inhabited by Hindus or Assamese Muslims. This phenomenon hints at the possibility of a deeper, deliberate conspiracy. It is not merely a matter of eviction--it appears to be a calculated strategy aimed at reducing the indigenous population to a minority. Due to such patterns of resettlement, the demographic structure of areas where eviction drives have been conducted is undergoing significant change. A majority of those displaced belong to the Bengali-speaking Muslim community. Evidence suggests that individuals from distant districts are occupying land in these regions."
"During the eviction drive in North Lakhimpur, it was observed that people from South Salmara and Srirampur had come to illegally occupy land there. Ideally, landless people should first seek land within their own districts. However, the act of migrating to distant districts without informing or obtaining consent from local administrations is nothing short of political aggression. This reveals that such illegal settlers are, in essence, political infiltrators," a release later added.
"The influx of people from South Salmara, Mankachar, Barpeta, and Srirampur into Upper and Northern Assam to illegally occupy government land seems to be a well-orchestrated plan aimed at rendering the indigenous Assamese population politically marginalised. A striking example is the Sarupathar constituency in Golaghat district, where significant demographic shifts have occurred due to the settlement of people from areas like Dhing and Rupohi in Nagaon," the state BJP said in the press statement.