Guwahati, July 25: The Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) has come down heavily on Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s recent remarks encouraging the Assamese people to arm themselves for self-protection. The regional party has accused the Chief Minister of inciting unrest and exposing his government’s inability to safeguard the indigenous population through constitutional means.
In a media address on Friday, AJP president Lurinjyoti Gogoi and general secretary Jagadish Bhuyan condemned Sarma’s statement made a day earlier in Dibrugarh, where he claimed that “the Assamese community can only be safe if armed,” and admitted to “waiting for an explosive situation” in the state.
Calling the remarks deeply irresponsible and dangerous, AJP leaders said the statement reflects the government’s complete failure to uphold law and order. “Urging people to bear arms is not just reckless—it’s an open admission that the government has failed in its basic duty to protect its citizens,” they said. “This is a government that came to power promising to safeguard Jati, Mati, Bheti—but instead it is now peddling fear and violence.”
The AJP emphasised that a clear constitutional path already exists to protect the indigenous population: the implementation of Clause 6 of the Assam Accord, which guarantees safeguards for Assamese identity and has been officially acknowledged in Parliament. “Instead of acting on this legal and democratic mandate, the Chief Minister is stoking public anxiety with theatrical, inflammatory rhetoric,” Gogoi and Bhuyan said.
The party also took serious exception to Sarma’s mention of an “explosive situation,” pointing out that as the Home Minister of the state, his role is to maintain peace, not provoke potential unrest. “This is not leadership. This is dangerous provocation from the highest seat of executive authority in the state,” AJP leaders stated.
The AJP announced it will be sending a formal memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alerting him to what they describe as a growing atmosphere of instability under Sarma’s leadership and the deliberate attempts to deflect from administrative and policy failures.
“In a democratic setup, the Chief Minister’s job is to ensure security through governance—not to urge civilians to prepare for war,” Gogoi said. “By shifting blame and escalating tensions, he is not just undermining the Constitution—he is destabilizing the very fabric of Assamese society.”
The party reiterated that true security for the indigenous people lies not in arms, but in political will and honest implementation of long-standing commitments.
