"Indigenous Muslims Agreed On Checking Population": Assam Chief Minister

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma today flagged off his government's biggest outreach programme for Muslims.

A consensus has been reached with the indigenous Muslims of Assam on the state government's proposed new population initiative involving a two-child policy, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said today. He will next attempt a similar agreement with Bengali-speaking members of the religious community, he said. Flagging off his government's biggest outreach programme for Muslims, Chief Minister Sarma was scheduled to meet around 150 intellectuals from the community today. He was set to hold detailed discussions on the development of minorities and the implementation of the two-child policy. Conspicuously though, the Bengali-speaking Muslims, often branded by his BJP as illegal migrants, were not invited for this first in a series of parleys. Muslims form about 35 per cent of Assam's population -- this includes 5 per cent indigenous to the state and 30 per cent Bengali-speakers. "I met about 150 intellectuals. We discussed various issues of indigenous Muslims who have a rich cultural heritage...In the broader landscape, population explosion in some parts of Assam had posed a real threat for development, particularly in economic sense," Mr Sarma said after the meeting.