Two days after stating that Assam’s Muslim population has gone up to 40 per cent and it is a matter of ‘life and death’ for him, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma today said that by 2041, the northeastern state will become a Muslim majority state.
“I am not saying this. It’s the published Census data. Based on the data it is going to be a reality in Assam that by 2041, Assam will be a Muslim majority state. The data is available for everyone to analyse,” CM Sarma said speaking to the media in Guwahati.
“In 2011, the Muslim population in Assam grew by around 30%. Every decade there has been an increasing of about 29-30% increase in the Muslim population in the state. In contrast, the Hindu population in the state has been rising at about 16% per decade. Therefore, every decade sees a net growth difference of 16% between Muslims and Hindus,” he explained.
Chief Minister Sarma further said, “Every ten years 22 lakh Muslim population is adding to the population of the state. From 2011 to 2021, 22 lakh were added. Going by these numbers, by 2041, Muslims will be the majority in Assam.”
“The shifting demographics are a critical issue for me. Currently, Muslims constitute 40% of the state’s population, whereas in 1951, they accounted for only 12%. This is not merely a political issue but a matter of concern for our state’s future,” Chief Minister Sarma had emphasized.
What the Census Numbers Say:
According to the 2001 Census, the total population of Assam was 26,655,528 (2.66 crore) of which the number of Hindus were 17,296,455 and the number of Muslims were 8,240,611 which is 30.9 per cent of the total population.
The Barpeta district topped the list with 977,943 Muslims and 662,066 Hindus. The other five districts where Muslims constituted a majority were Dhubri, Goalpara,Nagaon, Karimganj and Hailakandi.
As per the 2011 Census, the total population of Assam stood at 3.12 crore, a growth of 16.93%, of which the number of Muslims stood at 10,679,345 (34.22%) and the number of Hindus were 19,180,759 (61.47%).
