E-Paper
Himanta promises pro-active govt; says Covid-19 control in Assam top priority
The new CM said the first Cabinet meeting will take place on Tuesday and on agenda would be the prevailing Covid-19 situation in the state. “Daily cases in Assam have crossed 5,000. The situation in Assam will affect other N-E states as well,” he said
Assam’s new chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday assured people of the state a pro-active government that will work for them round the clock.
“You will see a pro-active government which will be there for you at 12am, at 5am and also at 2pm. We will try and resolve all pending issues and seek blessings of the people of Assam,” Sarma told journalists during his first press conference after taking oath earlier in the day.
He said the first Cabinet meeting will take place on Tuesday and on agenda would be the prevailing Covid-19 situation in the state. “Daily cases in Assam have crossed 5,000. The situation in Assam will affect other N-E states as well,” he said.
The chief minister assured that all the promises made by the BJP and its allies in their election manifesto will be fulfilled. “We saw peace and development in the past five years. I appeal to the remaining outlawed armed outfits in Assam to join the peace talks. I would make a special request to leader of United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I) Paresh Baruah to shun violence and join talks for permanent peace in the state.”
Also Read | Himanta Biswa Sarma takes oath as Assam’s 15th CM; 13 ministers also sworn in
Sarma said that as promised by the BJP in its poll manifesto, the state government would seek re-verification of the National Register of Citizens (NRC). The document that lists Indian citizens in Assam was released in 2019 with exclusion of names of 1.9 million applicants.
BJP has termed it as faulty saying while many genuine citizens got left out, those with dubious credentials managed to get enlisted.
“Our view on NRC is very clear. We want 20% re-verification of the list in districts bordering Bangladesh and 10% re-verification in other districts. If after that, the NRC is found to be correct, the state government would accept it and take the process forward. But if the NRC is found faulty after re-verification, we would want the Supreme Court to view this issue critically,” Sarma said.
On the issue of granting scheduled tribe (ST) status to Ahoms, Koch-Rajbongshis, Moran, Motok, Sutias and tea-tribe, Sarma said that the state government would try and resolve the issue through talks and without affecting the rights of tribes already under the ST ambit.
Reacting to concerns about Assam’s financial situation, Sarma, who held the finance portfolio in the previous government, said the state has nearly ₹7,000 cr in its treasury and stressed there is no cause of concern as the state’s fiscal health is among the best in the country.
Sarma assured that his government would enact laws on “love jihad” and “land jihad”. Love jihad is a term used by some Hindu groups to describe relationships between Muslim men and Hindu women. They accuse Muslim men of seducing Hindu women and luring them into marriage with an intention to convert them to Islam. Likewise, “land jihad” is used for land belonging to indigenous people being encroached upon by outsiders.
