CM Sarma slams Kapil Sibal over his ‘Assam part of Myanmar’ remark

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has hit back at lawyer Kapil Sibal for saying Assam was part of Myanmar during a hearing in the Supreme Court.

He denied such an assertion and said those who were not aware of Assam’s history should not speak about it.

While speaking to the media CM Sarma said, “”Those who do not know should not speak. Never was Assam a part of Myanmar. People from Myanmar came and clashed with the Assam people. For a brief period — for a month– Assam became like an occupation. This is the extent of Assam and Myanmar relations. I never came across any data claiming that Assam was with Myanmar…I should not comment on what is said in the Supreme Court. A lawyer says anything as part of an argument…” 

On December 5, during a hearing in the Supreme Court on multiple petitions challenging the validity of Section 6A of the Citizenship Act of 1955, Sibal said Assam was originally a part of Myanmar before being handed over to the British as part of a treaty.

Sibal made the comments while he was emphasising the complexity of tracing population movements across history, highlighting Assam’s historical evolution from being a part of Myanmar to its subsequent governance under British rule and association with East Bengal post-partition. He underscored the assimilation of the Bengali population in Assam, contextualising this assimilation within historical narratives.

“And if you look at the history of Assam, you will realise that it is impossible to figure out who came when. Assam originally was a part of Myanmar. And it was way back in 1824 after the British conquered a part of the territory that a treaty was entered into by which Assam was handed over to the British,” Mr Sibal said.

Many leaders including Home Minister Amit Shah and Foreign Minister S Jaishankar have said entry of illegal immigrants is also one of the main factors behind the unrest in the northeast state.