Dibrugarh (Assam)

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said that the time has come for people to think and make a choice whether they want 'vote bank politics' or take forward the development journey launched by his government during the last five years.

The state will go to the polls in the next few months, and people must decide whether they want to ''surrender to Bangladeshi Muslims'' or be part of progress and development, the chief minister said in his address after unfurling the national flag at the Republic Day function here.

He said that earlier, Republic and Independence Days in the state were marked by violence and insurgency, but now ''we are among the fastest growing states in the country''.

''We have decided not to surrender to the Bangladeshi Muslims who have encroached upon huge areas of land and threatened our identity, culture and traditions. We have started the process of reclaiming our land by evicting the encroachers,'' he said.

Sarma said that his government was committed to protect people's 'maati' (land), 'bheti' (foundation), 'sanskriti' (culture) and 'parichay' (identity) to protect and secure the rights of the future generation.

He urged people to remain '' atal (firm), abichal (unwavering) and 'agragami' (forward moving) in their quest to ensure that their identity is not threatened and the development journey started by this government leads to the establishment of Assam as the leading state of the country''.

The CM said that the time has come to think about the kind of Assam its people deserve and whether ''one should go back to the dark days of violence and insurgency when bandhs, dharnas, bomb blasts and guns ruled or we should go ahead with the development journey''.

Sarma claimed that during the last five years, the state has made unprecedented progress in all sectors, including infrastructure development, education, health, agriculture, industry and social sector, creating a new milestone in the development journey.

''In the context of Assam, however, development without securing the identity of its people will remain an incomplete journey,'' he asserted.

It has been projected that according to the 2027 census, the ''population of Muslims from East Bengal (Bangladesh) in the state will increase to 40 per cent while in 12 districts, Hindus are in a minority and 63.58 lakh bighas of land in Assam have been encroached by the infiltrators,'' he said.

''No government before 2021 had taken the initiative to clear the encroached land from their clutches and had surrendered to these foreigners,'' Sarma said.

The Supreme Court's permission to send them back by enforcing the Immigration (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950 has empowered the District Commissioners to send back foreigners from the country within 24 hours without going to the Tribunals, he said.

''This has helped us in transforming the aspirations of the people to reality in asserting their identity by pushing back the foreigners,'' the CM added.

He said that the Assam movement between 1979 and 1985 against illegal immigrants was a defining moment in the state's history wherein 860 people had lost their lives, but ''no government had given them the respect they deserved for making the supreme sacrifice for the motherland and distinct identity of its people''.

It was under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the 'Swahid Smarak' (Martyrs Column) was established in Guwahati, he said.

Both the PM and Union Home minister Amit Shah have paid their tributes to the martyrs of the Assam agitation during their recent visits to the state, thereby giving recognition to their courage and sacrifice at the national stage, he said.

The chief minister said that his government has taken firm action to stop child marriage and a historic bill was passed recently in the state legislative assembly against polygamy which will completely stop this social evil.

''We have put in place strict laws that will provide seven years of imprisonment for those involved,'' he said.

The state government is committed to protect the interest of the indigenous population of the state which had allegedly received no attention previously, particularly the tea tribes and Adivasis working in the tea gardens.

''The tea industry has given Assam a unique place globally but its workers remained neglected. On the historic occasion of the 200 years of the tea industry, we have initiated the process of providing land rights to over 6 lakh workers, given them a one time grant of Rs 5,000, ensure 3 per cent reservation in government jobs, proper roads in the gardens, skill centres, model schools, health and other facilities'', he said.

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Sarma said that in the last five years, Assam has witnessed major changes, from firm action against illegal encroachments, honouring our martyrs to upholding the legacy of Vaishnavite monk Srimanta Sankardeva at Batadrava, securing land pattas for indigenous people and taking Bihu, Jhumoir and Bagurumba to the global stage''.