“It is My Job to Make the Miya People Suffer” and “SIT Confirms Gaurav Gogoi’s Pakistan Links”: With Assam Elections Imminent, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma Targets Minorities and Opposition

Key Points

With Assam heading toward elections in early 2026, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has made a series of statements targeting Bengali-speaking Muslims and senior Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi, intensifying political tensions in the state.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, 27 January 2026, in Digboi, Tinsukia district, Sarma said that “four to five lakh Miya voters” would be removed from Assam’s electoral rolls when a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is conducted in the state.

‘Miya’ is a derogatory term used in Assam to refer to Bengali-speaking Muslims. Sarma had made similar remarks just days earlier, saying his government will “continue to disturb” Bengali-speaking Muslims.

“Vote chori means we are trying to steal some Miya votes. They should ideally not be allowed to vote in Assam, but in Bangladesh. We are ensuring that they cannot vote in Assam,” Sarma said on Tuesday. Referring to the ongoing Special Revision (SR) of electoral rolls in Assam, he described it as “preliminary” and indicated that a future SIR would lead to the deletion of many more ‘Miya’ votes.

Sarma went further, saying: “My job is to make the Miya people suffer.” He stated that complaints filed during the revision process had been made on his orders and that he had instructed party workers to submit Form 7 complaints (for deletion of a name from electoral rolls) wherever possible. “Whoever can give trouble in any way should give,” he said, adding, “In a rickshaw, if the fare is Rs 5, give them Rs 4. Only if they face troubles will they leave Assam.”

The Chief Minister also said the BJP and he were “directly against Miyas” and that this is openly known. He reiterated earlier remarks that the government would create “utpaat” (disturbances) for the community while remaining “within the bounds of the law.”

According to the draft electoral rolls published on 27 December 2026, Assam has 2.51 crore voters after 4.78 lakh names were marked deceased, 5.23 lakh recorded as shifted, and 53,619 duplicate entries deleted. Election authorities said verification covered over 61 lakh households.

On 25 January 2026, six opposition parties – Congress, Raijor Dal, Assam Jatiya Parishad, CPI, CPI(M) and CPI(ML) – submitted a memorandum to the State’s Chief Electoral Officer alleging legal violations, political interference and selective targeting of genuine voters during the SR exercise, which they described as “arbitrary, unlawful, and unconstitutional.”

Raijor Dal president and MLA Akhil Gogoi said Sarma had not been elected to keep the Miya community under constant pressure. Congress leader Aman Wadud accused the Chief Minister of rendering the Constitution “ineffective” in Assam.

See Also: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma says Assam Police arrested 53 'jihadis' this year

As political tensions rise in the state, Sarma, again on 27 January 2026, renewed allegations against Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, announcing that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) report on alleged links with Pakistan would be made public on 8 February 2026. He said the SIT had found evidence pointing to links with Pakistan involving three individuals: Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, Gaurav Gogoi and Gogoi’s wife, Elizabeth Colburn.

Sarma said a Cabinet meeting on 7 February 2026 would consider a memorandum on the issue before the findings are disclosed at a press conference. He indicated that further action could involve the Assam government, central agencies or a reference to the Prime Minister, depending on the decision.

The SIT was constituted after Sarma alleged that Gogoi and his wife, a former colleague of Sheikh, were “accomplices” in a case linked to an FIR registered against Sheikh and “unknown others” under charges including acts endangering sovereignty and under the UAPA Act. These allegations were made in February 2025.

Sarma had earlier promised that the SIT report would be made public in September 2025, but this never happened. Sarma attributed this to the death of Assamese singer Zubeen Garg.

Gaurav Gogoi has strongly denied all allegations, calling them politically motivated. A day after Sarma’s announcement, he accused the Chief Minister of acting out of fear. “He is afraid of us after we launched the campaign ‘Who is Himanta Biswa Sarma?’” Gogoi said, questioning whether this was the same report earlier promised but not released.

“He does not know me. I am not a coward like him. When allegations surfaced against him, he changed parties. I stand by my ideology,” Gogoi said. He added that the BJP was using such allegations to deflect attention from governance issues. “This time, the people of Assam will catch them like chor-police, identify the thieves, and show them the door.”

The BJP has maintained that the probe is necessary in the interest of national security and public accountability. The Congress, in turn, has accused the ruling party of misusing state machinery to target opposition leaders and shape the political narrative ahead of crucial electoral contests.

As campaigning intensifies, the Chief Minister’s statements on voter deletions and his government’s handling of the SIT findings have become central flashpoints in Assam’s pre-election political environment.

[DS]

Suggested Reading: