Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma urges longtime settlers to list 'Assamese' as mother tongue in census

Guwahati: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma requested longtime settlers to list ‘Assamese’ as their mother tongue during census.

Sarma said that people of Barak Valley who are Bengali speaking and tribals can exercise their own discretion.

Sarma while addressing the Independence Day gathering after hoisting the National Flag said, “In Barak Valley, people will use their own conscience while mentioning their mother tongue. Bodos, Rabhas, Tiwas, Misings, others will also mention their own languages,” Sarma said, adding that the state wanted to promote and preserve all indigenous languages.


“Besides the tribals and Barak Valley population, the proud Assamese individuals who had at some point of time come from Rajasthan or some other place with a different language and culture, I request them to mention ‘Assamese’ as their mother tongue,” he said.

Sarma said the 2026 Census would be crucial for planning the country's future and urged people to participate in the exercise.

According to Census data, the proportion of Assam's population identifying Assamese as their mother tongue fell from 59.53 per cent in 1971 to 48.80 per cent in 2001 and 48.38 per cent in 2011.

The share of Bengali speakers rose from 27.53 per cent in 2001 to 28.91 per cent in 2011, while Hindi speakers increased from 5.89 per cent to 6.73 percent during the same period.

The Census process in Assam has begun with self-enumeration underway from August 2 to August 16. House-listing and housing Census operations are scheduled from August 17 to September 15.

Sarma has called for a development approach rooted in the state’s own identity, saying Assam should not simply adopt ideas and labels that originated in the West.

Speaking in Guwahati on Saturday after hoisting the national flag on the 80th Independence Day, Sarma questioned the growing use of terms such as Gen Z and Gen Alpha for today’s young people.

He said Assam should look at its students as part of its own social fabric rather than through Western classifications.

“I don’t believe in the concept of Gen Z or Gen Alpha. It is a Western concept. For us, the students are not Gen Z or Gen Alpha but our own son and daughter," Sarma said.

The government is planning investments of around Rs 1.5 lakh crore over the next five years. The money will be used across sectors including roads, education, urban development and rural infrastructure.

Of the proposed investment, around Rs 1 lakh crore is expected to come from the Centre, while the Assam government is expected to provide Rs 50,000 crore.

Among the other announcements were plans for a satellite city, eight new sub-districts and another edition of Khel Maharan. The state will also provide free treatment for children suffering from 50 critical diseases, Sarma said.

The chief minister also spoke about the government’s action against child marriage. He said more than 11,000 people had been arrested in Assam during the past five years and indicated that further action against the practice would continue.

Sarma reiterated the government’s opposition to the practice and said steps would be taken to protect the rights of first wives. For government employees who abandon their first wives, he said half of their salary would be given to the first wife. The government is also working on legislation to introduce similar safeguards for women in cases involving non-government employees, he said.