Dibrugarh, Jan 26 (PTI) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said that the time has come for people to think and make a choice whether they want 'vote bank politics' or take forward the development journey launched by his government during the last five years.

The state will go to the polls in the next few months, and people must decide whether they want to ''surrender to Bangladeshi Muslims'' or be part of progress and development, the chief minister said in his address after unfurling the national flag at the Republic Day function here.

He said that earlier, Republic and Independence Days in the state were marked by violence and insurgency, but now ''we are among the fastest growing states in the country as stated by the Reserve Bank of India''.

''We have decided not to surrender to the Bangladeshi Muslims who have encroached upon huge areas of land and threatened our identity, culture and traditions. We have started the process of reclaiming our land by evicting the encroachers,'' he said.

Sarma said that his government was committed to protect people's 'maati' (land), 'bheti' (foundation), 'sanskriti' (culture) and 'parichay' (identity) to protect and secure the rights of the future generation.

He urged people to remain ''atal (firm), abichal (unwavering) and 'agragami' (forward moving) in their quest to ensure that their identity is not threatened and the development journey started by this government leads to the establishment of Assam as the leading state of the country''.

The CM said that the time has come to think about the kind of Assam its people deserve and whether ''one should go back to the dark days of violence and insurgency when bandhs, dharnas, bomb blasts and guns ruled or we should go ahead with the development journey''.

Sarma claimed that during the last five years, the state has made unprecedented progress in all sectors, including infrastructure development, education, health, agriculture, industry and social sector, creating a new milestone in the development journey.

''In the context of Assam, however, development without securing the identity of its people will remain an incomplete journey,'' he said.

It has been projected that according to the 2027 census, the ''population of Muslims from East Bengal (Bangladesh) in the state will increase to 40 per cent while in 12 districts, Hindus are in a minority and 63.58 lakh bighas of land in Assam have been encroached by the infiltrators,'' he said.

''No government before 2021 had taken the initiative to clear the encroached land from their clutches and had surrendered to these foreigners,'' Sarma said.

The Supreme Court's permission to send them back by enforcing the Immigration (Expulsion from Assam) Act has empowered the District Commissioners to send back foreigners from the country within 24 hours without going to the Tribunals, he said.

He said that the Assam movement between 1979 and 1985 against illegal immigrants was a defining moment in the state's history wherein 860 people had lost their lives, but ''no government had given them the respect they deserved for making the supreme sacrifice for the motherland and distinct identity of its people''.

It was under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the 'Swahid Smarak' (Martyrs Column) was established in Guwahati, he said.

Sarma said his government has taken firm action to stop child marriage and a bill was passed recently in the assembly against polygamy which will completely stop this social evil.

The state government is committed to protect the interest of the indigenous population of the state which had allegedly received no attention previously, particularly the tea tribes and Adivasis working in the tea gardens.

''The tea industry has given Assam a unique place globally but its workers remained neglected. On the historic occasion of the 200 years of the tea industry, we have initiated the process of providing land rights to over 6 lakh workers, given them a one time grant of Rs 5,000, ensure 3 per cent reservation in government jobs, proper roads in the gardens, skill centres, model schools, health and other facilities'', he said.

Sarma said in the last five years, Assam has witnessed major changes, from firm action against illegal encroachments, honouring our martyrs to upholding the legacy of Vaishnavite monk Srimanta Sankardeva at Batadrava, securing land pattas for indigenous people and taking Bihu, Jhumoir and Bagurumba to the global stage''.

He said the state was written off due to violence and insurgency but now it stands tall in confidence and future-ready by outpacing national growth rate, attracting investments to the tune of Rs 1.5 lakh crore at the World Economic Forum in Davos and is marching towards a Rs 10 lakh crore economy.

Within six months, Assam will be on the global semiconductor map as the first 'Made in Assam' chips roll out from Jagiroad, he said.

Sarma said, ''We promised 1 lakh jobs and delivered over 1.5 lakh government jobs through a transparent, merit-based recruitment process while in February; thousands more youth will receive new government job appointments.'' He said Assam, which is aiming to set up 17 cancer hospitals, will soon become the first state in India to introduce Proton Therapy, a major step forward in advanced cancer treatment.

"Major road infrastructure development has taken place in the state," Sarma said. PTI DG NN