Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday predicted that the Miya Muslim population in the state is likely to rise to 38 percent in the upcoming census, up from about 34 percent in 2011. Speaking to journalists after the “Mukhyamantri Mahila Udyamita Abhiyan” (MMUA) event, Sarma said this increase could make Muslims the largest community in Assam.

Sarma emphasized his government’s commitment to safeguarding Assam’s indigenous people and announced that two key bills aimed at protecting Jati, Maati, and Bheti—referring to caste, land, and heritage—will be introduced in the next assembly session. He noted that if measures similar to those taken over the last five years had been implemented over the past three decades, Assam might have avoided current demographic challenges. “This is a fight we must lead for the next 10 years,” he added.

According to the 2011 census, Muslims accounted for 34.22 percent of Assam’s population. During the MMUA program, CM Sarma also promoted entrepreneurship by awarding Rs 10,000 each to over 14,000 women entrepreneurs through the seed fund in Dibrugarh. He shared on X, “Meet our women entrepreneurs from Dibrugarh—full of energy and passion. Today, we empowered more than 14,000 women with Rs 10,000 seed funding to help their ventures grow. This is just the beginning; more assistance will follow.”