The Congress on Saturday condemned the attack on the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Assam "by BJP goons" and accused the ruling party in the state of seeking to "trample and demolish" every right and justice guaranteed by the Constitution to the people of India. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the party will not be cowed down by such tactics aimed at intimidating its workers and leaders. "We strongly condemn the shameful attack on the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra vehicles and tearing of the Congress party's banners and posters by BJP goons in Lakhimpur, Assam," he said in a post on X. "In the last 10 years, the BJP has attempted to trample and demolish every right and justice guaranteed by the Constitution to the people of India. It wants to subjugate their voices, thereby hijacking democracy," he added. Kharge said the Congress will not be cowed down by this tactic of attack and intimidation "by the BJP government in Assam, which is responsible for this". AICC general secretary K
As the Congress continued to target Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma with corruption allegations during its 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' in the state, the BJP leader hit back on Saturday, maintaining that no one can be "more corrupt" than the Gandhis. Sarma has been called the "most corrupt CM in the country" at several public gatherings over the last two days by Rahul Gandhi, who is leading the Yatra that is on its third day in the state. "Anything abusive, that comes from the so called Gandhi family, I consider it as a blessing. Because this gives me the energy to fight against a family which considers itself to be the most powerful," Sarma posted in X. He also said, "But I want to ask only one thing, can any one be more corrupt then the Gandhi's? - Bofors Scam, National Herald Scam, Bhopal Gas Tragedy, the escape of Anderson, 2G scam, Coal Scam, etc (the list is huge and it goes on & on )". Gandhi had claimed that Sarma can "give lessons" to chief ministers of other ...
Rahul Gandhi also met a group of environmental activists, intellectuals and affected people from the northern bank of Brahmaputra
He said during his interactions with the youth in the state, they lamented lack of employment opportunities in spite of being well-educated
Ramesh claimed that the state government led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was making deliberate attempts to stop people from joining the Yatra
Kickstarting the Assam leg of 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra', Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday claimed the state perhaps has the "most corrupt government" and the "most corrupt CM" in the country. Addressing a public gathering at Haloating in Sivasagar district, where the march entered Assam from Nagaland, Gandhi slammed the ruling BJP and its ideologue Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for "spreading hatred and looting public money". "Perhaps, the most corrupt government in India is in Assam. You know what is happening here. We will raise the issues of Assam during the Yatra," he said. In the afternoon, Gandhi addressed a street meeting at Deberapar in Nakachari of Jorhat district and alleged that a lot of injustices are being done against tribals, tea workers and other indigenous communities of Assam by the BJP-led government. "Corruption is rampant in Assam. We all know that perhaps the most corrupt CM in India is the Assam chief minister," he added. Talking about Manipur, fr
Ration card distribution to over 42 lakh new beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) has started in Assam, with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma launching it in his constituency Jalukbari. Sarma, attending the launch programme at Boripara area on Tuesday, termed it a milestone event in the current government's regime. A total of 42,85,745 new beneficiaries will be covered under the NFSA in the state, with ceremonial distribution of ration cards to be held across the state, an official release said. "This is another milestone in the current government's quest for achieving food security of all its residents," Sarma said. He said every member of ration card-holder families are entitled to 5 kgs of rice every month free of cost. He said this facility is available every month during the "anna sewa saptah" and that for this month, this shall be available till January 31. Mentioning of social sector schemes such as Antyodaya Anna Yojana, Sarma said those belonging t
Assam will be the third state after Uttarakhand and Gujarat to introduce a Bill seeking a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and it will exempt the tribal communities from the ambit of the law, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said here on Thursday. A UCC means having a common law for all citizens of the country that is not based on religion. Personal laws and laws related to inheritance, adoption and succession are to be covered by a common code. 'We are waiting for the Uttarakhand Bill on UCC and after it is introduced, Assam will follow it with certain additional clauses,' the chief minister said at a press conference here. The Assam model will have certain innovative points as the state is fighting against child marriage and polygamy, he said. The Bill will, however, exempt the tribal communities from its ambit, Sarma said. 'We will go through the Uttarakhand Bill and see if public consultations will be possible within the next two to three months,' he said. If, however, certain ...
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the Congress could have apologised to the Hindu community by accepting the Ram temple invitation
The Chief Minister, during the meeting, also took stock of the progress of distribution of ration cards to the beneficiaries
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Assam received a record investment proposal worth over Rs 11,000 crore in 2023 through which more than 10,000 jobs are expected to be created, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said. The chief minister said here on Thursday that a conducive environment for investment was created in 2023 and during the "landmark year", the state's industrial landscape changed under the Industrial and Investment Policy of Assam (Amendment), 2023. "In 2023, Assam saw a record investment proposal of over Rs 11,000 crore with proposed generation of more than 10,000 jobs due to our path-breaking customised incentive policy," Sarma said. Under the new industrial policy, customised incentives were offered for mega projects which have a minimum investment of Rs 100 crore and a minimum of 200 permanent employees. The highlights of the scheme in 2023 are a total of 17 investors, a proposed investment of Rs 11,753.7 crore, a proposed capital investment of Rs 8,775.5 crore and proposed generation of 10,906
State Transport Minister Parimal Suklabaidya also attended the flag-off ceremony of 200 AC E-buses
The pro-talks faction of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) on Friday signed a peace accord with the central and Assam governments agreeing to shun violence and join the mainstream. The agreement, signed in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, came after 12 years of unconditional negotiations between the ULFA faction led by Arabinda Rajkhowa and the government, officials said. The peace pact is expected to end decades old insurgency in Assam. However, the hardline faction of the ULFA headed by Paresh Baruah is not part of the agreement. Baruah is believed to be residing at a place along the China-Myanmar border. The ULFA was formed in 1979 with the demand for a "sovereign Assam". Since then, it has been involved in subversive activities that led to the central government declaring it a banned outfit in 1990. The Rajkhowa faction joined peace talks with the government on September 3, 2011, after an agreement for Suspens
Assam Chief Minister's Office has announced that a tripartite memorandum of settlement between the ULFA (pro-talks faction) and the central and state governments will be signed in New Delhi on Friday. 'A Memorandum of Settlement will be signed between the Government of India, Government of Assam and representatives of the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) in presence of the Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Sh. Amit Shah tomorrow at 5 pm in New Delhi', the CMO posted on 'X' on Thursday. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is scheduled to be present during the signing, also retweeted the post. A16-member delegation of the ULFA pro-talks faction, led by chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa, reached New Delhi on Wednesday to hold discussions with Shah before the signing of the accord. The outfit's general secretary, Anup Chetia, has been camping in New Delhi since Monday and held talks with the peace interlocutor AK Mishra on Tuesday. The Centre had sent a draft of the
A tripartite accord is likely to be signed on December 29 between the pro-talks faction of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), and the central and Assam governments, aiming to bring a lasting peace in the northeastern state, sources said on Tuesday. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and over a dozen top leaders of the pro-talks faction of the ULFA, headed by Arabinda Rajkhowa, will be present at the signing of the peace agreement here. The accord will take care of a host of long-standing political, economic and social issues concerning Assam, besides providing cultural safeguards and land rights to the indigenous people, the sources privy to the development said. The hardline faction of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), led by Paresh Baruah, will not be part of the agreement as he has been consistently rejecting the olive branch offered by the government. Two top leaders of the Rajkhowa group -- Anup Chetia and Sashdhar Choudh
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has asserted that the state is witnessing accelerated development, with government initiatives fueling the growth. He expressed confidence that Assam will be among the top states in the country within a few years if this pace of development is maintained. Sarma was speaking after inaugurating projects worth Rs 114.17 crore in Jagiroad in Morigaon district on Sunday. Addressing a public gathering, he said the government was on track to fulfilling its promises, including providing jobs to one lakh youths. Among other measures are providing loan without mortgages to youths under the Chief Minister's Atmanirbhar Asom Abhijan. With the aim of ushering in a movement of inclusive financial empowerment, an amount of Rs 10,000 each shall be credited to the accounts of the 40-lakh members of self-help groups, the CM added. He said the accelerated development is also owing to an environment that keeps strifes and strikes at bay. "Another 10 years wi
The Assam Chief Minister said that, during the recent Assembly election campaigns in five states, he had an opportunity to see the "best practices of farmers in other states."
A bill to ban polygamy will be introduced in the next session of the Assam assembly to be held in February, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said here on Friday. The bill has been formulated after months of consultations with various individuals and organisations. Talking to reporters, Sarma said, "The bill to ban polygamy will be placed on the floor of the Assam assembly which will commence from February 4." The chief minister had earlier said that some points would be incorporated in the bill with the objective to stop "Love Jihad" in the state. Officials said that the state government had received as many as 149 suggestions in response to a public notice seeking feedback on the proposed law to ban the practice of marrying multiple times. Out of these, 146 suggestions were in favour of the bill, indicating strong public support, they said. Three organisations have expressed their opposition to the bill. The state government had issued a notice on August 21 inviting publ
The Assam Chief Minister made this statement at the time when there was an allegation that a large number of people's names were enrolled in the NRC list by forgery