Himanta Biswa Sarma, the chief minister of Assam, expressed alarm on Friday over West Bengal's insufficient reaction to cross-border infiltration and cautioned that the situation would have serious repercussions for Assam and other northeastern states.
Mr. Sarma told reporters that illegal immigration and demography were creating a "complex and sensitive challenge" for the entire area, with Assam perhaps being the most severely impacted.
The chief minister in Agartala cautioned that unchecked infiltration has ramifications for national security and was not only a state-level problem.
The percentage of Muslims in the population may rise to almost 40% following the census. While lamenting West Bengal's inadequate response to the matter, Mr. Sarma stated, "This makes the situation extremely complex for the entire Northeast, but Assam will bear the maximum impact."
"This is a direct attack on Assam," he declared. To defend our territory and identity, we must continue to be watchful and fight every day.
According to the chief minister, states like Assam and Tripura are actively trying to stop unauthorized infiltration and are repelling infiltrators along the border between Bangladesh and India. But he claimed that West Bengal was not doing the same, which made the issue worse.
Assam and Tripura are currently holding the line and repelling infiltrators. However, West Bengal is not effectively preventing infiltration or retaliating against them. Mr. Sarma stated, "This is a serious issue."
The chief minister stated, "Assam and the entire country may suffer losses if West Bengal does not address the national cause." Mr. Sarma stated that he was keeping a careful eye on events leading up to the West Bengal elections, directly connecting the matter to politics in the neighboring state.
"I am keeping a close eye on the elections in Bengal. We must take a firm and unified stance on the Indo-Bangladesh border if the Northeast is to survive," he stated.
Additionally, the chief minister claimed that West Bengal was giving refuge to intruders, making it challenging to stop the flow of undocumented migrants into the Northeast.
"The pressure inevitably shifts to Assam and other Northeastern states when infiltrators are given shelter elsewhere," he contended.
Mr. Sarma urged for stringent and coordinated national steps to control borders and prevent unlawful immigration, describing infiltration as one of the most urgent issues facing the area.
"Intrusion is a problem that affects the entire Northeast, not just Assam. The chief minister, who prayed at the sacred Mata Tripura Sundari Devi Temple in Udaipur, Tripura, called himself fortunate to have darshan and stated that "strong, decisive steps are needed to address this issue once and for all."
Following the visit, he met Manik Saha, the chief minister of Tripura, in Agartala, where the two leaders talked about matters of shared interest and state collaboration.
Additionally, Mr. Sarma gave off the impression that the BJP would win the state's next assembly elections, which are probably going to take place in March or April.
Mr. Sarma stated that the election date is anticipated to be released in February and that his party is well positioned to retake power with a resounding majority given the work completed by the BJP government and the fulfilment of all pledges made.
Approximately 1.6 lakh young people have been given government jobs in a transparent manner over the past five years, he claimed, adding that the elections are being fought on issues of identity and development.
