Minority leaders agreed on checking population: Assam Chief Minister

New Delhi, July 04: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said that a consensus has been reached with the indigenous Muslims on the state government's proposed new population initiative involving a two-child policy.

Addressing a press conference, Sarma said that over 150 leading indigenous Muslim personalities from diverse fields and said they had all have agreed that population growth in some parts of the state is a threat to development.

A total of eight sub groups will be formed with members from the indigenous Muslim community to suggest various developmental measures.

"Today I met over 150 intellectuals, writers, doctors, artistes, historians and professors among others. We discussed various issues confronting the Assamese minority people," he added.

All present in the meeting agreed that "population explosion" in some parts of Assam pose a threat to the development of the state, he added.

"If Assam wants to become one of the top five states in India, then we have to manage our population explosion. This was agreed by all," Sarma said.

He also added the government will be forming eight sub groups with members from the indigenous Muslim community and these will submit reports on development of the community within the next three months.

"After compilation of the reports, a roadmap will be created to uplift people from the minority community. We will work in the next five years according to that roadmap," Sarma said.

The Chief Minister also told reporters that the next round of meetings will be held with politicians and student bodies representing the minority community.

"In the next few days, I will sit with representatives of the migrant Muslims or Muslim people who originated from East Bengal... There are distinct cultural differences between the two Muslim communities (indigenous and East Bengal) and we respect that," he added.