Guwahati (Assam) [India], January 31 (ANI): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday stated that had Mahatma Gandhi been alive today, he would have supported the Assamese people's fight against illegal immigration, arguing that protecting the state's rights and identity is not an act of hatred.

Responding to a social media post of Tushar Gandhi, the Assam Chief Minister asserted that democratic governments are changed by elections, not by intimidation or attempts to prematurely remove an elected Chief Minister.

'If Bapu were alive today, he would have stood with the Assamese people. In fact, history shows that his intervention saved Assam from becoming part of Pakistan. Standing up against illegal infiltration is not hatred--it is about protecting the rights, identity, and future of the Assamese people. Let me answer you very clearly: governments in a democracy are changed by the people through elections, not by intimidation or attempts to pull down an elected Chief Minister,' Sarma wrote on X.

Gandhi, who is the great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, had posted on X that, 'If India was that of Bapu, Citizens of the nation would have pulled the CM of Assam from his office and impeached him for his hateful comments. Alas, today we are a nation of Bapu's murderer Nathuram Godse and his follower, the high priest of hate and divisiveness PM Modi.'

This comes amid the sharp criticism against the Assamese CM's recent comments on 'Miya Muslims' to refer to the influx of immigrants from Bangladesh.

Sarma had defended his remarks stating that he had not coined the term 'Miya Muslims' and that it had been in vogue within the community itself, which had migrated from Bangladesh to refer to themselves.

In a post on X, CM Sarma said those attacking him for his remarks on 'Miyan' should note the Supreme Court of India's observations on Assam and illegal migration.

'Those who are attacking me for my remarks on 'Miyan'--a word used in Assam in the context of Bangladeshi Muslim illegal migration--should pause and read what the Supreme Court of India itself has said about Assam. This is not my language, not my imagination, and not political exaggeration,' he said.

Quoting the apex court, the Chief Minister highlighted its warning on demographic changes in the State.'These are the Court's own words: 'The silent and invidious demographic invasion of Assam may result in the loss of the geostrategically vital districts of lower Assam. The influx of illegal migrants is turning these districts into a Muslim-majority region. It will then only be a matter of time before a demand for their merger with Bangladesh may be made. Loss of lower Assam will sever the entire land mass of the North East from the rest of India, and the rich natural resources of that region will be lost to the Nation,' Assam CM said in his post.

Sarma also said that acknowledging such concerns cannot be termed communal or hateful.Congress MP fronn the State, Gaurav Gogoi had on Friday called out Sarma over the latter's 'Miya Muslims' remarks, accusing him of 'misusing' the name of the Supreme Court to justify his remarks.

In a post on X, Gogoi referred to Himanta Biswa Sarma's politics as politics of 'dishonesty and shamelessness' as he asserted that the Assam CM is 'lying' and the SC has never 'authored the said words nor adopted it'.

'Dishonesty and shamelessness define Himanta Biswa Sarma's politics. He has stooped so low that he is misusing the name of the Hon'ble Supreme Court. He claims to rely on the Hon'ble Court's 'own words' from the case of Sarbananda Sonowal. This is a blatant lie,' Gogoi said.

'The language he quotes is not the Supreme Court's. The Hon'ble Court neither authored the said words nor adopted it. To pass off an executive report as a judicial pronouncement is a deliberate contempt,' he added. (ANI)