Himanta Sarma's 'Simple Mathematics' Comment On Muslim Population Ahead Of Jharkhand Polls

Himanta Biswa Sarma, BJP's co-in-charge for Jharkhand assembly elections, on Monday stirred controversy by alleging that Jharkhand's Muslim population is rising due to infiltration. He claimed the tribal population is decreasing.

Assam Chief Minister Sarma told news agency ANI, "I ignited fire against infiltrators. Lord Hanuman had also set fire in Lanka. We have to set fire against infiltrators and make Jharkhand a golden land." He claimed the Muslim population in Santhal Pargana was increasing, while the tribal population was dwindling.

"Not every Muslim is an infiltrator, but how is the population of Muslims increasing every 5 years?" Sarma asked. "Is a family giving birth to 10-12 children? If families are not giving birth to so many children, then definitely people are coming from outside. This is simple mathematics."

Sarma vowed to implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Santhal Pargana if the BJP forms the government in Jharkhand. He cited an internal letter allegedly showing intruders receiving training at madrasas and being issued Aadhar cards.

Voting for the Jharkhand assembly elections will be held in two phases -- on November 13 and November 20.

In the previous assembly election, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha won 30 seats, BJP won 25 and Congress won 16 seats.

Sarma's government in Assam has been frequently criticised for communal policies, including evicting allegedly illegally constructed madrasas and houses on government land and accusing Bengali Muslims of carrying out "love jihad," "fertiliser jihad," and "land jihad" against the indigenous Assamese.

The opposition sees an "agenda" in Sarma's rhetoric, alleging an attempt to polarise the "secular" Assamese society for power.

Sarma has made frequent claims about a possible "demographic invasion" by the Miyas, Bengali-speaking Muslims, since the Modi government introduced the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).