Assam at loss to explain Bengali language growth in lower Assam

Assam at loss to explain the exponent growth of Bengali language in some of the lower Assam district and especially in Barpeta district, which has become a Bengali dominated district.

As linguistic experts are trying to piece together the puzzle, the Muslim social leaders from the literature background claimed that there was an organized way.

Hafiz Ahmed, President of Char Chapori Sahitya Parishad blamed Congress and the All Assam Minority Students Union(AAMSU) for this fiasco.

"There was a definite design not an accidental one and the political leadership of the Congress was fully responsible" said Hafiz Ahmed.

The recently published census data on linguistic population carries a gloomy picture for Assamese speaking people in Brahmaputra valley. The population of Assamese speaking people in seven districts of the Brahmaputra Valley declined while that of Bengali speakers increased over a last 10 year period in these districts.

The most surprising is the growth of Bengali speaking people in Brahmaputra valley's Barpeta district where it is almost twice of Assamese speaking people. As per the census data, the number Assamese speaking people in Barpeta district is 6,12,248 while number of Bengali speaking population in the district is 10,45,698.

In Darrang district, as per the latest census record, Assamese speaking people number is 4,57,696 and Bengali speaking population is 4,50,233.

For the first time since Independence, both Barpeta and Darrang district have witnessed spurt in Bengali speaking population.

Many linguistic scholars from both the districts expressed concerns over the census data and termed the development as conspiracy from vested interest sections in government wings to create trouble in society at a time when the immigrant population have wholeheartedly embraced Assamese as their mother tongue and assimilated to the Assamese mainstream.