Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has threatened to break the 'backbone' of Miyas, a pejorative term for Bengali-speaking Muslims, if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) returns to power in Assam.
The BJP has used anti-Miya sentiment to its advantage, promising to stop 'illegal infiltration' from Bangladesh and detecting and deporting undocumented immigrants.
However, the AIUDF has hit back at Sarma, saying his intimidating tactics will no longer succeed.
Ethnic and linguistic tensions in Assam date back to the 19th century, with the British declaring Bengali the official language in 1836.
The 1947 partition and linguistic reorganisation of states in the 1970s sparked fresh protests against 'outsiders.'
A significant proportion of Assamese continue to regard Miyas as outsiders, despite many being Indians as per the cutoff date.
The BJP's campaign against Miyas intensified after Sarma became chief minister in 2021.
The government has used provisions of a 1950 law to 'push back' those deemed as 'foreigners' to Bangladesh since last year.
Sarma has claimed Miyas will account for 40% of the state's population after the next census.
