Assam’s demographic reckoning
When Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma tells audiences that his state faces an “existential” demographic threat, he is not reaching for hyperbole in a vacuum.
When Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma tells audiences that his state faces an “existential” demographic threat, he is not reaching for hyperbole in a vacuum.
For decades, Assam's assembly ran on three languages, and now a fourth joins the mix. Starting July 6, Hindi will be used in the state assembly for the first time, alongside Assamese, English and Bodo.
As the states of Assam, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh prepare for enactment of a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) following Uttarakhand which became the first in the country to do so, the discourse around UCC pertaining to individual rights is under much discussion.
The NIA has filed a chargesheet against 11 accused in an alleged terror conspiracy linked to a JMB offshoot. The agency claims the network targeted vulnerable youth and sought to expand its activities across West Bengal, Assam and Tripura.
A recent award function on the occasion of the annual Devarshi Narad Jayanti celebration in Guwahati emerged as a platform to highlight Assam’s troubled past, including its historical vulnerability to political uncertainties, and the urgent need for credible journalism to guide media professionals across print, electronic, and digital platforms.
Jamiat president Maulana Arshad Madani claimed that bulldozers were being deployed selectively against Muslim settlements, alleging that “more than 50,000 Muslim families” faced eviction.
Addressing the NDA Panchayat Pratinidhi Sammelan in Guwahati, Shah alleged that the Congress was spreading a “culture of hatred” in Indian politics.
State BJP president Dilip Saikia said the panel was formed with the approval of national party president J.P. Nadda.
Hameed, accompanied by a delegation of civil society figures including Prashant Bhushan, Harsh Mander, Jawahar Sircar, Wajahat Habibullah, and Fayaz Shaheen, was in Assam at the invitation of Asom Nagarik Sanmilan to assess eviction drives, citizenship issues, and treatment of Muslims in the state.
As geopolitical uncertainties mount and security threats diversify, the urgency to indigenize defense production has never been greater. Against this backdrop, the proposal to establish a defense industrial corridor in Assam is not just timely. It is strategically imperative.
