NEW DELHI: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday refused to walk back from his remarks on “Miya Muslims” after the criticism by the opposition.A day after the chief minister said that he encourages troubling the “Miyan” to drive them back from the state, Sarma clarified that the word was used to refer the illegal Muslim migrants from Bangladesh. He also cited the Supreme Court to claim that the issue is a “grave and long-standing problem that Assam has lived with for decades.”In a social media post on X, Sarma said, “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.”“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 when 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,” Himanta cited a Supreme Court observation.“Our effort is not against any religion or any Indian citizen. Our effort is to protect Assam’s identity, security, and future, exactly as the Supreme Court cautioned the nation to do. Ignoring that warning would be the real injustice—to Assam and to India,” he added.Earlier on Wednesday, Himanta had said that he encourages creating “trouble” for “Miyan Muslims” so that they are driven out of the state, remarks that have sparked widespread outrage across the election-bound northeastern state.“Trouble the Miyan Muslims by any means. If they face trouble, they will go from Assam. If I want to give trouble to Miya, I go at 12 am. It’s not an issue. We are directly against the Miya Muslims,” Himanta had said.“We are not hiding anything; we directly say that we are against Miyans. Earlier, people feared that notices would be served against them. Now, I encourage everyone to give trouble to Miyan. Yesterday, I saw that they have reached Duliajan. A tsunami will happen here, but the result will be in Pakistan,” he added.His remarks drew strong criticism from Opposition leaders, who warned that such statements could have serious consequences for social harmony.Congress leader Udit Raj said the Assam chief minister’s remarks would not go down well with the public and could even lead to “civil war”.“Congress neither works for Bengali Muslims nor for Bengali Hindus. Congress views everyone as a citizen. It is good that what was once done covertly, Himanta Biswa Sarma has now openly stated,’ the Congress leader told news agency IANS.CPI(M) MP Amraram also condemned the comments, accusing the Assam government of using administrative exercises to marginalise vulnerable communities.“This is what the chief minister always does. In the name of SIR, votes are being taken away from Dalits, minorities, SCs, and STs. Even when people are not being divided on the basis of Hindu or Muslim, votes are being manipulated in the name of SIR. All of these people are citizens of this country, whether Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Christian, or Buddhist. Creating hatred against them, I believe, is a betrayal of the country, its Constitution, and its unity,” he said.