Activist and former planning commission member Syeda Hameed is facing flak over her remark that “Bangladeshis can also be here in Assam,” with chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma accusing her of legitimising infiltrators and the Opposition Congress also terming her views “wrong and unacceptable.”
Hameed, who had visited eviction-affected people in Goalpara and Kamrup districts as part of a five-member team from Delhi, made the comment on the sidelines of a civil society event in Guwahati on Sunday. She observed that Muslims were being “targeted” in Assam and that her heart went out to them.
She told mediapersons: “What is the sin in being a Bangladeshi? Bangladeshis are also humans. The earth is so big, Bangladeshis can be here (in Assam). They are not depriving anyone of their rights. To say they are depriving rights is troublesome, mischievous and detrimental to humanity. Allah has created this earth for humans, not for devils. If a person is standing on this earth, to evict them…”
Her statement triggered a storm, with political parties and organisations across lines criticising her. The state is already sensitive to infiltration, an issue linked to ongoing eviction drives aimed at freeing government land from encroachers.
Chief minister Sarma, who has taken a hard stance on the issue, immediately latched on to her remark to target the Congress. He told reporters that Hameed “is a friend of Sonia Gandhi” and had often visited Guwahati when Tarun Gogoi was chief minister. “Yesterday she said we should keep these people even if they are Bangladeshis. If we allow Congress and Nagarik Samittee, Bangladeshis will come to Assam, and Assamese will have to go to Bangladesh if this continues.”
Saturday’s event was hosted by Axom Nagarik Sanmilan. Hameed was part of a five-member team that also included Jawahar Sircar, Prashant Bhushan and Harsh Mander.
Later, in a post on X, Sarma escalated his attack: “People like Syeda Hameed, a close confidant of the Gandhi family, legitimise illegal infiltrators as they seek to realise Jinnah’s dream of making Assam a part of Pakistan. Assamese identity is on the brink of extinction because of the tacit support of people like her. But we are the sons and daughters of Lachit Barphukan, WE WILL FIGHT till the last drop of our blood to save our State and our identity. Let me make it very clear: Bangladeshis are not welcome in Assam. It is not their land. Anyone sympathising with them may accommodate them in their own backyards.”
The state BJP too joined in, questioning her audacity. “If she feels so strongly about the ‘rights’ of illegal Bangladeshis in Assam, why doesn’t she accommodate them in her own home? Perhaps her like-minded friends can also share the burden,” it said.
Even the Congress, Hameed’s former party, distanced itself. Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly, Debabrata Saikia, called her remarks “wrong and unacceptable,” reflecting “a lack of understanding” of Assam’s problems such as land pressure due to influx and erosion.
“At the same time, such statements are triggered by the BJP-led Centre’s imposition of the CAA, which negates the 1985 Assam Accord. We are for 1971 as the cut-off date for detection of illegal foreigners. We are not against humanity, but humanity should be shown by exempting Assam from the CAA and distributing illegal foreigners outside Assam and the Northeast, irrespective of religion,” Saikia added.
The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) also condemned her. Its president Utpal Sarma said Hameed had “no knowledge” of Assam’s history and people’s struggle. He warned her against repeating such “anti-Assam, anti-India” statements and urged organisations not to invite such speakers, which he said vitiated the social atmosphere of a state whose demography had already been altered by influx from Bangladesh.
Axom Nagarik Sanmilan, which had invited Hameed, distanced itself as well, saying her comments were made in her personal capacity.