Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is a worried man. The state’s Muslim population is growing and the community will become the majority within 20 years, he fears. At a press conference in Guwahati on Friday, Sarma predicted that by 2041, Assam will become a Muslim-majority state. He claimed that this shift is inevitable. “It is a reality and nobody can stop it.”

According to Sarma, Muslims currently make up 40% of Assam’s population, based on a “statistical sampling”. He said that the Muslim population is increasing by around 30% every decade, while the Hindu population is growing by approximately 16% per decade.

Sarma said that his government has implemented steps to address the population growth among Muslims.

Sarma also targeted former Congress President Rahul Gandhi, suggesting that his influence could help control population growth.

“Congress has the most important role in arresting the population growth of Muslims. If Rahul Gandhi becomes the brand ambassador of population control, it will be contained as the community only listens to him,” Sarma quipped.

This statement follows Sarma’s recent remarks on the changing demographics in Assam, which he described as a major concern.

He said that in 1951, Muslims constituted 12% of the population, but now they make up 40%. “This is not a political issue but a matter of life and death for me.”

On July 1, Sarma had accused “a section of people from a particular religion” of engaging in criminal activities in Assam, though he clarified that crime is not exclusive to any single religion.

“I am not saying that crime is committed only by people of a particular religion. However, incidents since the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections are a matter of concern,” Sarma said.