News Analysis India

Tag: Himanta Biswa Sarma

  • Populism, Hindutva, ethnic outreach: BJP’s three-pronged strategy pays rich dividends in Assam

    Express News Service
    GUWAHATI: A three-pronged strategy by the BJP helped it sweep the Assam polls and retain power.

    The BJP managed to counter the Congress-led grand alliance of the Opposition through developmentalism coupled with populist schemes; core Hindutva with continuous focus on the threat to the land, language and culture of the indigenous populace from the illegal immigrants; and by aligning with ethnic political outfits to marginalize the discontent of mainstream Assamese.

    By indulging in competitive populism, the BJP-led government had targeted all communities, particularly tea workers, with various welfare schemes.

    The government had also come up with schemes for the weaker sex, including unmarried women and widows. Unmarried women from poor families get one-time financial assistance of Rs 40,000 during their wedding. Widows belonging to BPL category get a lump sum pension of Rs 300 per month.

    HIGHLIGHTS: How the Assam Assembly election results unfolded

    Under the Arunodoi Scheme launched last year, financial assistance of Rs 830 per month is given to around 17 lakh families where women, being the primary caretakers of the family, are the beneficiaries. In its election manifesto, the BJP had promised to increase the assistance to Rs 3,000 and the number of beneficiaries to 30 lakh. The BJP had also made admission in government institutions free from the primary level to post-graduation.

    Another measure of the party’s competitive populism was gifting scooties to girl students who excel in their Class 12 board exams. This election, the party had announced a gift of bullet bikes to boys but did not mention the eligibility criteria.

    “Without looking at the overall fundamentals of the economy, the BJP had created huge beneficiary schemes for all segments of the society. During electioneering, it also constantly talked about the threat to Assamese civilisation from illegal immigrants after the Congress had aligned with the minority-based All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF),” political scientist Akhil Ranjan Dutta of Gauhati University said.

    The AIUDF, seen by many in Assam as the protector of illegal immigrants, is a component of the 10-party and Congress-led grand alliance of the Opposition.

    ALSO READ: Himanta Biswa Sarma: Man of the Match of the Assam elections

    Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was at the forefront of the campaign against the AIUDF. He tried to scare people into believing that voting for the Congress would mean inviting AIUDF chief and MP Maulana Badruddin Ajmal to Dispur, the state’s seat of power.

    In the lead-up to the polls, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal had made an appeal to the voters to defeat the Mughals, alluding to the AIUDF. So, the campaign had an impact on the Assamese people, particularly in Upper Assam where a strong sentiment of Assamese sub-nationalism works.

    The Assamese are inherently linked to “namghars” which are Vaishnavite prayer centres. Almost every village has a namghar. As part of its core Hindutva, the BJP-led government had offered Rs 2.5 lakh each to 8,000 namghars across the state for a makeover and evicted alleged illegal immigrants from the Kaziranga National Park and some “satras” that are institutional centers associated with Vaishnavism.

    The BJP could reach every ethnic community both in the hills and the plains. The Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) was a challenge but the BJP found a competent ally in the United People’s Party Liberal.

    The saffron party retained ethnic political outfits such as Rabha Joutha Mancha and Tiwa Oikko Mancha. The Gana Shakti, floated a few years ago by tribal Mishing leaders, got handicapped after the BJP had managed to bring its top two leaders to its fold.

    Six communities, such as Tai-Ahom, Moran, Motok, Chutia, Tea Tribe and Koch-Rajbangshi, have for long been demanding Scheduled Tribe status. The BJP had managed to quell the movement to some extent with its decision to create territorial councils for the Koch-Rajbongshi, Moran and Motok communities. The tea workers were kept in good humour with cash bonanza and a number of welfares schemes.

    Over the past five years, the BJP focused on infrastructure development. After capturing power, it first finished the unfinished projects of the previous Congress government. Thereafter, it started building roads, including highways, statewide. It is also building three bridges over the Brahmaputra.

    Dutta observes that parties retaining power has become a post-economic liberalization phenomenon.

    “If you look at post-economic liberalization from 2002, any government coming to power in any state is having at least two terms in power. It is due to competitive populism. It happened to the Tarun Gogoi government, Nitish Kumar government, Naveen Patnaik government, Narendra Modi government, AIADMK government,” Dutta said.

  • Populism, Hindutva, ethnic outreach: BJP’s three-pronged strategy pays rich dividends in Assam

    Express News Service
    GUWAHATI: A three-pronged strategy by the BJP helped it sweep the Assam polls and retain power.

    The BJP managed to counter the Congress-led grand alliance of the Opposition through developmentalism coupled with populist schemes; core Hindutva with continuous focus on the threat to the land, language and culture of the indigenous populace from the illegal immigrants; and by aligning with ethnic political outfits to marginalize the discontent of mainstream Assamese.

    By indulging in competitive populism, the BJP-led government had targeted all communities, particularly tea workers, with various welfare schemes.

    The government had also come up with schemes for the weaker sex, including unmarried women and widows. Unmarried women from poor families get one-time financial assistance of Rs 40,000 during their wedding. Widows belonging to BPL category get a lump sum pension of Rs 300 per month.

    HIGHLIGHTS: How the Assam Assembly election results unfolded

    Under the Arunodoi Scheme launched last year, financial assistance of Rs 830 per month is given to around 17 lakh families where women, being the primary caretakers of the family, are the beneficiaries. In its election manifesto, the BJP had promised to increase the assistance to Rs 3,000 and the number of beneficiaries to 30 lakh. The BJP had also made admission in government institutions free from the primary level to post-graduation.

    Another measure of the party’s competitive populism was gifting scooties to girl students who excel in their Class 12 board exams. This election, the party had announced a gift of bullet bikes to boys but did not mention the eligibility criteria.

    “Without looking at the overall fundamentals of the economy, the BJP had created huge beneficiary schemes for all segments of the society. During electioneering, it also constantly talked about the threat to Assamese civilisation from illegal immigrants after the Congress had aligned with the minority-based All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF),” political scientist Akhil Ranjan Dutta of Gauhati University said.

    The AIUDF, seen by many in Assam as the protector of illegal immigrants, is a component of the 10-party and Congress-led grand alliance of the Opposition.

    ALSO READ: Himanta Biswa Sarma: Man of the Match of the Assam elections

    Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was at the forefront of the campaign against the AIUDF. He tried to scare people into believing that voting for the Congress would mean inviting AIUDF chief and MP Maulana Badruddin Ajmal to Dispur, the state’s seat of power.

    In the lead-up to the polls, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal had made an appeal to the voters to defeat the Mughals, alluding to the AIUDF. So, the campaign had an impact on the Assamese people, particularly in Upper Assam where a strong sentiment of Assamese sub-nationalism works.

    The Assamese are inherently linked to “namghars” which are Vaishnavite prayer centres. Almost every village has a namghar. As part of its core Hindutva, the BJP-led government had offered Rs 2.5 lakh each to 8,000 namghars across the state for a makeover and evicted alleged illegal immigrants from the Kaziranga National Park and some “satras” that are institutional centers associated with Vaishnavism.

    The BJP could reach every ethnic community both in the hills and the plains. The Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) was a challenge but the BJP found a competent ally in the United People’s Party Liberal.

    The saffron party retained ethnic political outfits such as Rabha Joutha Mancha and Tiwa Oikko Mancha. The Gana Shakti, floated a few years ago by tribal Mishing leaders, got handicapped after the BJP had managed to bring its top two leaders to its fold.

    Six communities, such as Tai-Ahom, Moran, Motok, Chutia, Tea Tribe and Koch-Rajbangshi, have for long been demanding Scheduled Tribe status. The BJP had managed to quell the movement to some extent with its decision to create territorial councils for the Koch-Rajbongshi, Moran and Motok communities. The tea workers were kept in good humour with cash bonanza and a number of welfares schemes.

    Over the past five years, the BJP focused on infrastructure development. After capturing power, it first finished the unfinished projects of the previous Congress government. Thereafter, it started building roads, including highways, statewide. It is also building three bridges over the Brahmaputra.

    Dutta observes that parties retaining power has become a post-economic liberalization phenomenon.

    “If you look at post-economic liberalization from 2002, any government coming to power in any state is having at least two terms in power. It is due to competitive populism. It happened to the Tarun Gogoi government, Nitish Kumar government, Naveen Patnaik government, Narendra Modi government, AIADMK government,” Dutta said.

  • Himanta Biswa Sarma: Man of the Match of the Assam elections

    Express News Service
    GUWAHATI: Five years ago, he came and not only contributed to building the prowess of the BJP in Assam but also hoisted the party’s flag across the Northeast. Now, on a day when the BJP has retained power in Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma can pat himself once again. 

    From being the face of the party in Assam through the pandemic as the state’s Health Minister to being instrumental in the selection of party candidates, Sarma took a huge gamble. On Sunday it paid off, and how!

    The BJP’s victory has triggered speculations on the CM candidate. For the past few months in Assam, there have been murmurs that the BJP might promote Sarma as CM by giving ministerial responsibilities to current CM Sarbananda Sonowal in Delhi. But from Sonowal to Sarma to party chief Ranjeet Kumar Dass, all have left the matter to the wisdom of the Central leadership.

    A master election strategist who is widely known for his political acumen, Sarma was instrumental in scripting the BJP’s victory in some other states of the Northeast in recent years.

    ALSO READ | Assam Results LIVE: BJP set to repeat victory in Assam; Himanta says CM will be from Saffron party

    He has high ambitions and he did all that he could during the election campaign to retain the attention of the party’s central leadership. 

    There was the grand show when he went to file his nomination papers with several thousand supporters. Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh and BJP’s two central leaders were also present. Sonowal’s filing of nomination, in contrast, was a low-key affair. Then there were the rallies and roadshows across Assam in the midst of thousands of his supporters.

    But one reason why the BJP might continue with Sonowal is its defeat in West Bengal. The party is expected to give credit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the victory in Assam. Sarma’s appointment might take away Modi’s role in the victory, for the PM had led the party’s Assam election campaign.

  • Himanta Biswa Sarma, key BJP strategist behind NDA’s victory in Assam

    By ANI
    GUWAHATI: Himanta Biswa Sarma has risen in prominence in BJP since he joined the party in 2015 and has played a key role in the party’s growing footprint in Assam as also other states of northeast.

    He has played a stellar role in the success of BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in the assembly polls in Assam with the alliance returning to power overcoming the stiff challenge posed by the Congress-led alliance. He was a key campaigner of the party and strongly articulated its position on various issues at play in Assam which has a diverse population with sometimes competing interests. During the campaign, he took repeated digs at Congress for its alliance with AIUDF. Sarma won from Jalukbari, a seat he has won four times earlier.

    Sarma, who was seen close to former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, felt sidelined in Congress as he had apparent chief ministerial ambitious, and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, which was looking for expansion in the northeast.

    Sarma is credited with Congress victory in the 2011 assembly polls when the party won 79 of 126 seats. Later, he helped oust the Congress in the 2016 assembly elections and gave BJP its first victory in the northeastern state. The BJP forged alliances with Bodoland People’s Front and Asom Gana Parishad. The alliance won 86 seats.

    Sarma handled key portfolios like Finance, Health and Education in the Sarbananda Sonowal government. He was made the convener of the North East Development Alliance (NEDA). His work and strategy has contributed to BJP’s growth in all the states of northeast.

    Sarma had cut his teeth in the All Assam Students’ Union and made a mark as he won Jalukbari assembly in 2001 defeating Bhrigu Kumar Phukan, one of his political mentors.

    He has also been president of Badminton Association of India.

    Born on February 1, 1969, he studied at Guwahati’s Kamrup Academy School and Cotton College. He pursued law and practiced at Gauhati High Court. He was also general secretary of Cotton college Student’s Union from 1991 to 1992.

    Sarma won Jalukbari seat by a margin of 1,01,911 votes.

    “It would be my privilege to represent the constituency for 5th consecutive term. My gratitude to the people of Jalukbari, PM Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president JP Nadda,” he said in a tweet.

    He also urged people to follow restraint and do not get together for celebrations in view of COVID-19. BJP’s parliamentary board will take a decision on the next chief minister of Assam and the choice is likely to be between Sonowal and Sarma.

  • Himanta says no COVID-19 in Assam till April 6, data says 2,624 infected

    By PTI
    GUWAHATI: Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday claimed that the state “did not have COVID-19” cases till April 6, the last day of three-phase state assembly poll, but the official data of his department showed that 2,624 persons had tested positive since January and 66 of them had died.

    After the Assam government on Tuesday imposed night curfew till May 1 to control the spread of COVID-19, Tamil television anchor and sports commentator Sumanth Raman tagged Sarma on Twitter and criticised him for his earlier statement on wearing masks.

    “Same Assam where just weeks ago @himantabiswa said there was no #Covid and so there was no need to wear masks,” Raman tweeted.

    Replying to him, the senior BJP leader wrote on the micro blogging site, “That was factually correct sir. Till 6th of April we did not have Covid-19.”

    Sarma had claimed in an interview to digital media ‘The Lallantop’ during the first week of April that there was no COVID-19 case in Assam and there was no need for wearing a mask in the state.

    He had also asserted that there would be no corona cases even after the assembly election and the state would celebrate its popular Rongali Bihu festival in a big way.

    However, a compilation of the daily bulletins of the National Health Mission (NHM), Assam, shows that 2,624 people had tested positive for COVID-19 from January 1 to April 6 and 66 people had lost their lives due to the virus during this period.

    The positivity figure translates into an average of more than 27 persons contracting the COVID-19 virus every day in Assam, it said.

    In January, 933 persons had tested positive, which came down to 396 in February.

    But it went up again to 875 in March when the election campaign was at its peak.

    During the first six days of April 420 people had contracted the virus, said the state unit of NHM, which is under the health and family welfare department of Assam.

    In January 37 persons had died due to COVID-19 in Assam, 10 in February and 13 in March.

    Till April 6, six persons had succumbed to the virus, it said.

    The election to 126 assembly seats in Assam took place in three phases — March 27, April 1 and April 6.

    While 92 persons had tested positive on April 6, the number shot up to 195 the very next day as per the figures given out by the department fuelling speculation that either testing was not done properly or the numbers were fudged during the entire election process.

  • ‘Will import oxygen from Bhutan, no need for lockdown’: Assam Health Minister

    By PTI
    NALBARI: Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said that the state government has made arrangements to import oxygen from neighbouring Bhutan.

    Speaking to reporters here, Sarma said there will be no shortage of Remdesivir as he requested drug manufacturer Sun Pharma to expedite the production at its Palasbari plant to 80,000 vials per week.

    “Regarding oxygen, we have moved ahead. There is a new oxygen plant being set up in Bhutan. Today, we have made arrangements to procure oxygen from there,” he said.

    Sarma further said that the Assam government was not aware of an oxygen plant in Dimapur in Nagaland, and now it will sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the neighbouring state for procurement.

    “The oxygen level that we are able to manage, I think there will not be any problem until several thousand patients arrive at the hospitals,” he added.

    The health minister visited Sun Pharma’s Palasbari plant near Guwahati during the day.

    “We have good news. We were searching for Remdesivir across the world. I did not know that Remdesivir was being manufactured in Assam. When I visited the Sun Pharma plant at Palasbari this morning, I came to know that 80,000 Remdesivirs can be produced every week in Assam,” he added.

    He requested the company to scale up the production to ensure that there is no shortage in the state.

    “ICU beds have also been ramped up. I believe we will be able to manage the COVID-19 crisis very fast like last year,” Sarma said.

    When asked about the possibility of lockdown in Assam, he said there is no necessity for any such drastic step at this moment.

    “When do we announce a lockdown? It is done when there is no oxygen, injection, medicine, kit in hospitals, then we get temporary relief by implementing lockdown.”

    There is a lockdown in Delhi because the Delhi CM himself said there is no oxygen.

    “But, everything is there in Assam as of now. So, there is no need for thinking about a lockdown. The way we are managing the things, I think the chance of lockdown in Assam is extremely rare,” the minister said.

    The total closure of educational institutions in the state will be decided after May 2, he said.

  • Double mutant strain detected in patients who tested COVID positive at Dibrugarh airport

    By PTI
    GUWAHATI: The double mutant strain has been detected in some passengers who tested COVID-19 positive at Assam’s Dibrugarh airport, Minister for Health and Family Welfare Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Thursday.

    Recent samples of passengers taken at the airport are “positive for B.1.617 strain or the Indian double mutant (L452R and E484Q) strain of SARS-COV-2,” he tweeted.

    The strain spreads “very fast and is extremely dangerous. I appeal to people to be very careful as there is no alternative to caution”, Sarma told reporters after attending an all-party meeting called by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.

    “In India, the UK and Californian strains have combined to form the double mutant strain and its birthplace is Maharashtra, from where it is spreading to other states,” he said.

    There are speculations in certain sections that vaccines might not work in positive cases with these strains, but these are to be verified, Sarma said.

    Earlier, the minister had claimed that the UK mutant strain has also been found in Assam.

    Meanwhile, the state government issued another SOP, stating that in districts with over 100 active cases, coaching institutes will function with 50 per cent capacity, while pregnant teaching/non-teaching staff and those with children below five years shall be exempted from attending schools and coaching institutes.

    Assam has reported 2,29,138 positive cases and 1,150 deaths so far.

    This development comes after as many as 385 passengers, who landed at the Silchar airport on Wednesday, created disorder and fled the facility to escape mandatory COVID-19 testing, officials said on Thursday, and asserted criminal action will be initiated against them.

    Cachar District Additional Deputy Commissioner (Health) Sumit Sattawan said a total of 690 passengers arrived at the airport from various parts of the country aboard six aircraft.

    He said they were supposed to undergo swab tests at the airport and the nearby Mahatma Gandhi Model Hospital in Tikal.

    Sattawan said hundreds of passengers created chaos at both places, mainly over payment of Rs 500 for the tests, the government-fixed rate.

    The Assam government has made it mandatory for all air passengers arriving in the state to undergo a free Rapid Antigen Test and an RT-PCR test for Rs 500 even if the report of the RAT comes negative.

    Asserting that the passengers had violated the rules, the officer said, “We have their database and will track them. We will initiate criminal action under Section 188 of the IPC (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and other relevant provisions.”

    The ADC later filed a complaint with the Cachar Superintendent of Police against the violators, seeking initiation of proceedings for flouting government orders and putting the society at risk during the pandemic.

    “A total of 385 passengers skipped mandatory testing at Silchar Airport,” he said in the complaint, containing the list of the violators with mobile phone numbers received from flight carriers.

    Of the 690 passengers, 189 were tested and six found infected with the virus.

    Many were exempted from testing as they were transit passengers on way to neighbouring states like Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura, Sattawan said.

    In a statement late on Thursday, Silchar airport director said the incident was not reported inside the airport and “no passenger escaped from security checks or from the designated area at the passenger terminal building”.

    “However, the matter was related to the screening of the arriving passengers by transporting them from outside the airport, through ASTC buses to the Mahatma Gandhi Model Hospital, Tikal (Salganga).

    There, both RAT and RT-PCR tests are being conducted by the district health department,” it added.

    Quoting Sattawan, the Airports Authority of India release said around 300 passengers moved out of the system without being tested, shouting at health department personnel.

    The district health officials and workers were caught off-guard as they didn’t anticipate “so much indiscipline” from flight passengers, AAI said.

    “Air passengers escaped from outside Silchar airport or the testing site rather than the airport,” it added.

    The Assam government had on Wednesday night announced that people coming from outside will have to undergo seven days of compulsory home quarantine, as the state’s COVID-19 tally shot up to 2,29,138 with 1,150 fatalities.

  • Assam to vaccinate everyone in 18-45 age group for free from May 1: Himanta Sarma

    By PTI
    GUWAHATI: The Assam government will vaccinate everyone in the 18-45 age group for free from May 1 onwards, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said.

    Donations received last year for COVID management will be utilised for the purpose, he said.

    The state Health Department has already written to Covaxin maker Bharat Biotech for procuring 1 crore vaccines.

    “Assam will give FREE vaccines to everyone from 18-45 years. GOI is giving free vaccines for 45+,” Sarma tweeted late on Tuesday.

    Funds collected in Asom Arogya Nidhi account last year shall be utilised for procuring the vaccines, he said.

    “Today itself, we’ve placed orders for 1 cr doses with @BharatBiotech,” the health minister said.

    In September last year, Sarma had informed the Assembly that a total of Rs 116.

    1 crore contribution from 53,534 people have been received in the account of the Asom Arogya Nidhi to support the government’s efforts in handling the pandemic.

    The Centre had announced on April 19 that everyone above 18 years of age will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccination from May 1, while private hospitals and states will be able to buy doses from manufacturers.

    It also said that vaccine manufacturers will be free to supply 50 per cent doses to state governments and in the open market, for which they will have to make an advance declaration of the price before May 1.

    In a letter to the Bharat Biotech chairman and MD on Tuesday, Assam Principal Secretary (Health and Family Welfare) Samir K Sinha expressed interest to procure one crore doses of Covaxin at the rate to be fixed by the central government.

    “For this purpose, the terms and conditions of delivery and payment along with schedule of supplies may please be intimated at the earliest,” he wrote.

    The principal secretary mentioned that the National Health Mission (NHM), Assam will be the nodal agency for this procurement under the ‘Liberalised and Accelerated Phase 3 Strategy’ of the National COVID-19 Vaccination Programme.

    Sinha had told reporters on Tuesday that the Assam government had urged the Centre to send an adequate number of COVID-19 vaccine vials as the state’s stock will be exhausted in 6-7 days.

    He said that the state has received a total of 22,93,470 vaccines, comprising 17,52,830 doses of Covishield and 5,40,640 doses of Covaxin, while there is a stock of 5,03,550 vaccines at present.

    Meanwhile, the administration of Kamrup Metropolitan district, which primarily comprises Guwahati, has instructed private hospitals to tie up with hotels so that asymptomatic patients can be shifted there in case of a shortage of hospital beds.

    The state reported three more deaths due to COVID-19 on Tuesday, while the number of fresh cases rose sharply with 1,651 people testing positive, pushing the tally to 2,27,473.

  • Several top leaders in fray as Assam prepares to go to final leg of its assembly elections

    By ANI
    GUWAHATI: With the hustings coming to a halt on Sunday, Assam is all prepared to go to the final leg of its three-phased elections for 126-seat Assembly on April 6.

    This phase will decide the fate of 337 candidates across 40 constituencies of 12 districts in the state, including the senior minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Himanta Biswa Sarma in the Jalukbari constituency.

    Apart from Sarma, BJP Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary from Dharampur, Education Minister Siddhartha Bhattacharya from Gauhati East, and BJP state chief Ranjeet Kumar Dass from Patacharkuchi are also in the fray in the final phase.

    Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) candidate Phanibhushan Choudhary from Bongaigaon, Bodoland People’s Front’s (BPF) Pramila Rani Brahma from Kokrajhar-East, Chandan Brahma from Sidli, and independent candidate and Lok Sabha MP Naba Hira Kumar Sarania from Barama will also be facing the test of their luck on Tuesday.

    Sitting BJP MLAs Atul Bora and film director and producer Suman Haripriya are in the contest from Dispur and Hajo respectively.

    The fate of sitting Congress MLA Rekibuddin Ahmed, former AGP MLA from Chaygaon Kamala Kalita, and Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) working president Pabindra Deka, who is contesting from Pathacharkuchi, will also be decided in this phase.

    Kokrajhar’s Lok Sabha MP Naba Kumar Sarania, who is contending from Barama as an Independent candidate, will also see his fortunes meeting its fate.

    This year, the main contest is between the alliances led by the BJP and Congress.

    The BJP-led alliance includes the AGP and United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL).

    The Congress has stitched a broad alliance called the Mahajath, which includes Badruddin Ajmal’s All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), Communist Party of India, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation, the Anchalik Gana Marcha (AGM) and the Bodoland Peoples’ Front (BPF).

    Jailed activist Akhil Gogoi’s Raijor Dal has stitched an alliance with Assam Jatiya Parishad.

    The BJP is banking on the performance of the Sarbanand Sonowal government in the state in the past five years, the initiatives of the central government, and the appeal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    One of the major issues in the campaign run-up was Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) with the state BJP chief saying that the party will soon implement CAA. However, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi maintained that they will not let the CAA be implemented in the state.

    As many as 320 Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) coys have been deployed in the third phase in order to ensure a free and fair election.

    Out of these 320 CAPF coys, 30 are reserved for strong room duty and other law and order duties.

    These companies include the Central Armed Police Force (CRPF), State Armed Police (SAP) of other states, and Assam.

  • History will not pardon EC: Congress on reduction of campaigning ban on Himanta Biswa Sarma

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Congress on Saturday hit out at the Election Commission for reducing the campaigning ban on Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and said it is a dark day for parliamentary democracy and history will not pardon the panel.

    Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said it was deplorable that the EC could not sustain its own order and accused the poll body of buckling under pressure of the Modi government by reducing the ban on Sarma from 48 hours to 24 hours.

    The Election Commission Friday had banned Sarma from all modes of campaigning for 48 hours for allegedly making threatening remarks against Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) chief Hagrama Mohilary but reduced it to 24 hours this evening after the minister tendered an “unconditional apology” and assured the poll panel that he will abide by the provisions of the model code.

    “A dark day for Parliamentary democracy. ECI doesn’t even have the guts to sustain its own order. Deplorable that EC buckles under Modi Government’s pressure and reverses its own order of ban on Sh. Himanta Biswa Sarma. History will neither pardon ECI nor BJP for this sin,” Surjewala said on Twitter.

    Questioning the EC, he asked why did it make this change of heart and why it did not seek the comments of the complainant.

    The Congress had complained to the EC against Sarma and demanded action against him for giving threats to Mohilary.

    “Will the ECI tell – Was this somersault taken suo moto or on a fresh plea by BJP/Himanta Sarma? If yes, why did EC then not call upon the complainant, BPF and Congress? If no, why this vexatious change of heart,” Surjewala asked.

    “Does it now give a license to issue threat with impunity,” he further asked.

    Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra alleged that the EC seems to have torn down the page of “impartiality” from its rulebook.

    “While we were awaiting strict action from the Election Commission in the case in which an EVM was found in the BJP leader’s car, but another move of the Commission seems to suggest that it has torn down the page of impartiality from its rulebook,” she said in a tweet in Hindi.

    “After all, under what pressure was the ban on BJP leader, who was giving threats, reduced from 48 hours to 24 hours,” she asked.

    Another Congress leader Jaiveer Shergill said, “By ‘relaxing’ the ban on Himanta Biswa Sarma, the EC itself has given the proof that they are involved in ‘fixing’ the election for BJP.”

    “The EC must explain why sudden change of heart? Who in BJP called up to threaten them? EC shamelessly becoming BJP co-conspirator in hijacking democracy,” he alleged.

    After the EC reduced the ban, Sarma became eligible to campaign from the evening.

    Canvassing for the third and final phase of Assam assembly elections comes to an end on the evening of April 4.

    The final phase of polling will be held on April 6.

    In his fresh representation to EC on Saturday, Sarma pleaded for reducing the ban to 24 hours on the ground that he is himself a candidate in the constituency which is scheduled to go for polls on Tuesday.

    He also sought an unconditional apology from the EC, which was considered.