According to the 2011 language census, Bengali speakers increased from 22% in 1991 to nearly 30% in 2011. “The NRC draft left out names of lakhs of Bengali Hindus. Many of these Bengali Hindus will vote for BJP,” said Biplab Saha, a resident of Howly in Barpeta district. While indigenous communities in Assam fear implementation of CAB would lead to influx of Bangladeshi Hindus, Bengali Hindus in Assam feel the legislation would help them remove the tag of ‘suspected foreigner’. Fears among Bengali speakers, many of whom had migrated over many decades from Bangladesh, that they would be persecuted due to the move, led to AIUDF’s rise.

Source: Hindustan Times April 21, 2019 03:45 UTC