Assam ministry expanded, tribal bodies call bandh in protest

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today expanded his council of ministers by inducting seven ministers, the first since the NDA came to power in the state in 2016.

The expansion triggered tribal organisations give a call for a central Assam bandh tomorrow to protest against the non-inclusion of BJP MLA Rama Kanta Deuri alleging that they had been betrayed despite promises by the party leadership.

While four ministers are of Cabinet rank, three are ministers of state.

Siddhartha Bhattacharyya, Bhabesh Kalita, Som Ronghang, Tapan Gogoi and Pijush Hazarika of the BJP, Phani Bhushan Choudhury of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Chandan Brahma of the Bodoland People's Front (BPF) were sworn in by Governor Jagdish Mukhi at a function in Raj Bhawan.

Bhattacharyya, Ronghang, Chowdhury and Bramha were given Cabinet rank while the rest were ministers of state.

Of the seven, the MLAs of the AGP and the BPF have previous experience as ministers in the state.

The Sonowal government was sworn in on May 24, 2016 with nine Cabinet ministers, including the chief minister, and two ministers of state with independent charge taking oath.

Assam can have 19 ministers, including the chief minister. Even after the induction of the seven ministers, one more position remains vacant.

In Morigaon, the Tiwas National Solidarity Forum (TNSF) and other ethnic organisations protested against the non-inclusion of Deuri in the ministry and called a 12-hour central Assam bandh tomorrow.

The TNSF had supported the BJP in the last Assembly elections and Deori, along with five MLAs, was elected from central Assam on BJP tickets.

The TNSF, All Tiwa Students Union, Chutiya Sanmilan and Koch-Rajbongshi Sanmilan told a joint press conference here that it was a "betrayal day" and accused the BJP of having failed to live up to the aspirations of the ethnic communities of central Assam by ignoring Deuri, who is also the former chief executive member of Deori Autonomous Council.

The leaders of the three ethnic communities claimed that BJP president Amit Shah, Sonowal and minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had promised at a meeting in New Delhi before the Assam Assembly elections that Deori would be given a Cabinet berth.

The TNSF and the other ethnic organisations also burnt effigies of the chief minister and Sarma.