Defending his government’s decision to issue arms licences to “indigenous Indian people”, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said that “some practical steps” needed to be taken to reach the goals he had set, reported PTI.

“I want the situation in Assam to be explosive,” Sarma said when asked if the situation in the state could turn “explosive” by giving weapons to the residents.

The chief minister added: “Someday, the situation will be explosive in Assam. How will our people survive if there is an explosion?”

On May 28, Sarma announced that the state government would give arms licences to “original inhabitants” living in “vulnerable remote areas”.

He had claimed that the decision was taken after reviewing the demands of residents who were “feeling insecure”. Dhubri, Morigaon, Barpeta, Nagaon and South Salmara-Mankachar are among the districts where the government “will be lenient in giving licences to eligible people”, Sarma had said.

Bengali-speaking Muslims form the majority population in these districts and two of them – Dhubri and South Salmara-Mankacha – border Bangladesh.

On Thursday, the Bharatiya Janata Party leader claimed that the Assamese people would “survive when there will be licenced arms”, reported PTI. He added that the state government would take “more practical steps” if the party returns to power in the Assembly elections expected to take place next year.

This came three days after Sarma announced that residents of Assam would be able to apply online for arms licences from August, reported The Assam Tribune.

While announcing the government’s plans in May, the chief minister had said that to get an arms licence, the residents should have no criminal record and must pass a thorough police verification process. “The final approval will be given by the deputy commissioner as per the Indian Arms Act,” he added.

Sarma had also clarified that the policy will not apply to areas bordering Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland.

The four North East states have had long-standing border disputes with Assam, resulting in more than 200 deaths in over five decades.

The chief minister had claimed that the demand for residents to get arms licences has existed since the Assam Movement, which was launched in 1979 to identify and deport undocumented immigrants.

“Had we taken this step during the Assam agitation, perhaps many people would not have sold their land and left their homes,” said Sarma.

Harekrishna Deka, Assam’s former director general of police, had criticised the government’s decision to issue arms licences and said that the authorities should maintain security if there are security concerns.