‘Assam On A ‘Powder Keg’: Himanta Biswa Sarma Claims 40% of State’s Population Has Bangladeshi Roots – How His ‘Push Back’ Strategy Is Stopping Illegal Infiltration

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday made a big claim, saying that 40 per cent of Assam’s population now has Bangladeshi origins. He said there is a sharp rise from just 10–15 per cent at the time of India’s Independence. He described the situation as living on a “powder keg,’ raising serious concerns over the changing demographics of the state.

Sarma warned that, by the 2027 census, Assam’s Hindu and Muslim populations could become equal, making governance increasingly complex.

India’s “Push Back” Strategy: How Assam Is Working Against Bangladeshi Infiltration

In May 2025, Sarma revealed that India adopted a new “push back” strategy to counter cross-border infiltration from Bangladesh.

“We have pushed them back. Everybody from the detention centre has gone back to Bangladesh except those who are there in Matia, where litigation is there,” he said.

Calling cross-border infiltration a “big issue”, Sarma explained that the new strategy would minimise illegal entry.

Drop In Bangladeshi Infiltration

“Earlier, we used to arrest 1,000–1,500 foreigners. We used to arrest them, send them to jails, and then produce them before a court of law. Now, we have decided that we will not bring them into our country, and will push them back,” he said in May 2025.

He added that the India-Bangladesh border in Assam was being actively monitored.

“The central government, however, will be in a better position to explain this as they have a different mechanism to ascertain this,” Sarma said.

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Siliguri Corridor – India’s Biggest Strategic Concern

Speaking at a media conclave,  Sarma called the Siliguri Corridor, also known as the ‘Chicken Neck’, India’s biggest strategic concern. He noted that Bangladesh lies on both sides of this narrow stretch connecting the Northeast to the rest of the country.

Sarma said India might one day have to acquire 20–22 kilometres of land, either through diplomacy or force, to secure the region. Using a medical analogy, he added, “Surgery becomes necessary when medicine no longer works.”

He called the Chicken Neck issue an “unfinished agenda”, saying, “The timing and approach will be decided by the central government. We should not be impatient. History has its moment.”

Blames Former PM Indira Gandhi 

Targeting Bangladesh’s interim leadership, Sarma said the Mohammed Yunus government would not last long and claimed the current regime had created conditions “deeply worrying for India, especially for border states.” He suggested elections could improve the situation but warned that the current challenge was unlike anything India had faced before.

Referring to the 1971 war, Sarma questioned decisions taken by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, arguing that India could have requested land then to permanently secure the Chicken Neck.

“Since that did not happen, India continues to face threats related to the corridor even today,” he said.

Blames Congress For Current Assam Situation

Sarma also criticised Congress-era policies around Partition, linking them to Assam’s current challenges. He said that had a referendum been held, Hindus in Bangladesh would have chosen India. Instead, he claimed, “wrong decisions forced many unwilling people to remain in Pakistan, then known as East Pakistan, creating long-term demographic and security challenges.”

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