Sarma: BJP filed 5 lakh complaints to purge 'foreigners' from Assam voter rolls
Sarma: BJP filed 5 lakh complaints to purge 'foreigners' from Assam voter rolls
Assam CM says BJP workers submitted over 5 lakh complaints to the EC during SR, aiming to delete suspected foreigners from rolls amid debates over Miya voters.
Guwahati: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Wednesday that workers of the ruling BJP have filed over five lakh complaints with the Election Commission seeking deletion of the names of suspected foreigners from the electoral rolls during the ongoing special revision process. Our stand against illegal foreigners is very clear. That’s why our workers have filed more than 500,000 complaints (during the SR process seeking deletion of names of suspected illegal foreigners). Or else everyone (of them) would have become swadeshis (citizens),” Sarma said at an event in Demow, Sivasagar district. He also targeted the Bengali-speaking Muslim community, noting that “As per rules, Miyas (the non-indigenous Muslims) should not get to vote here; they should cast their ballots in Bangladesh. To ensure that they don’t get to vote in Assam, we have taken certain measures.”
“Recently I was in Duliajan, where people complained that the number of Bangladeshi Miyas has increased significantly there and in areas like Margherita. You have already witnessed the evictions (of suspected foreigners from government lands) carried out in Golaghat and Sarupathar,” he added. He cited the Assam Accord of 1985 and the Citizenship Act, which define illegal immigrants as those entering Assam after March 24, 1971. “We all know that Bangladeshi Miyas are in Assam. But if none of them get notices during the special revision (SR) process of electoral rolls, what will it m”.
The remarks come as part of a broader political debate over the integrity of voter rolls and the treatment of minority communities. Critics have long argued that such rhetoric risks deepening communal strains, while supporters say a tougher stance is needed to prevent illegal immigration from influencing elections. The special revision process continues to be a focal point ahead of upcoming polls, with officials under pressure to balance security concerns with rights protections and due process.
