Amid NRC row, Assam govt plans to conduct a survey to identify indigenous Muslims

The survey will be conducted to identify the people from Goria, Moria, Desi and Jola of the tea tribe community of the state, considered to be indigenous.

The Assam government has called a meeting regarding a socio-economic census of indigenous Muslims of the state – Goria, Moria, Ujani, Deshi, Jola, Maimal, Sayed etc on Feb 11.

Ranjit Kumar Dutta, Minister of Welfare of Minorities and Development, has conveyed the meeting with various organizations of the communities in Guwahati to finalize the plan.

Assam government has taken this initiative at a time when various organizations, political parties including ruling BJP alleged that, a large number of illegal Bangladeshis' names were included in the final NRC which was published on August 31 last year, which excluded over 19 lakh people.

Assam Minority Development Board Chairman Muminul Aowal said that Assam has around 1.30 crore Muslim population and out of them about 90 lakhs are of Bangladeshi origin

 “Out of 1.30 crore Muslim population, only 40 lakh are from different indigenous Muslim communities. The indigenous Muslims of Assam have faced a lot of problems from the illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. They are deprived of political rights and it also affected their economy, education, cultural rights. Various organizations from Goria, Moria, Desi and Jola of the tea tribe community have demanded the government to take appropriate action to protect them, to give constitutional protection and they are raising their voices since 2008. Now, the state government has a taken an initiative and will conduct a census and we welcome it,” Muminul Aowal said.

He further said that the Goria, Moria, Deshi, Jola Muslims are living in Assam since the past few centuries and they are indigenous people of the state.

Muminul Aowal alleged that the NRC process has totally failed after a large number of Bangladeshis' names have been included there.

“A large number of local people names were excluded from it and we can’t accept this NRC. We want the correct NRC and it is our demand. 13 districts of the state are now dominated by the Bangladeshi Muslims. 28 Muslims MLAs from AIUDF and Congress are now in the Assam assembly and 14 Congress MLAs are from Bangladesh origin and only one from the Assamese Muslim community. The Congress party in Assam has now become a Bangladeshi Muslim party,” Muminul Aowal said.

Muminul Aowal, who is also the convenor of Janagosthiya Samanway Parishad Asom (JSPA), said that an initiative for the development of the indigenous Muslims in the state will be taken after completing the census.

“The difference between the indigenous Muslims and Bangladeshi Muslims will be cleared after the census. It is necessary to identify the indigenous Muslims,” Aowal said.

(By Hemanta Kumar Nath, Guwahati)