HT Digital
GUWAHATI, JUNE 11: Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma has warned strongly that the Assamese people’s future is in danger if they fail to take a firm stand regarding the security of the state. Addressing the media at a function celebrating the completion of eleven years of the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sarma emphasized the imperative of collective awareness and solidarity on the part of Assamese citizens.
“If we do not wake ourselves up in concert to safeguard us, how would the Modi government act to safeguard us?” Sarma questioned, pointing to increasing opposition in certain sections in Assam against the deportation of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Referring to a recent observation by the Supreme Court of India, he reaffirmed the government’s determination to accelerate the identification and deportation of illegal Bangladeshis under the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950. But he censured Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia, who had said in the Assam Legislative Assembly that the Act had remained in abeyance since the days of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru — an argument Sarma construed as consistent Congress backing for illegal foreigner residency in the state.
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The Chief Minister also referred to past efforts to annex Assam at the time of partition, and stated, “Pakistan had wanted to include Assam along with them in the grouping, but this effort was foiled by Gopinath Bordoloi.” He cautioned that the desire to annex Assam into Bangladesh had been revived with the change of leadership in Bangladesh under Md. Yunus. He exposed that the government has found 2,895 Facebook accounts located in Islamabad, Dhaka, Saudi Arabia, and other places, which are actively posting comments on Assam and targeting the Congress. All these accounts are being tracked, and a report will be submitted to the Government of India to take further action through Interpol.
Sarma also accused cultural provocation of being employed as a tactic to destabilize Assam. Mentioning recent occurrences, he quoted, “Another tactic that they adopt is employing beef as a weapon against the people of Assam. They can eat it in their homes during their festivals, but why discard it on the streets? He quoted an example where beef was hurled in front of Cotton University and feared that these provocations might go too far, possibly targeting religious places like the Kamakhya temple in the future.”.
Who can guarantee such accidents won’t happen in front of Kamakhya temple after 20 years if we keep quiet?” he cautioned. Recalling the eleven-year term of the Narendra Modi government, Sarma described it as the golden era of Indian history and lauded the Prime Minister’s achievements towards Assam.
“PM Modi has visited Assam 35 times, even spending a night in Kaziranga, placing Assam on the global tourism map,” he noted.undefinedHe credited Modi’s leadership for major recognitions and projects in the state, including classical language status for Assamese, the UNESCO World Heritage tag for Charaideo Maidam, the proposed semiconductor plant, and several other development initiatives.
