Page 4 - Himanta Biswa Sarma

Kharge slams Assam govt, promises relief for evicted families if Cong wins

The Congress president also warned that the BJP could use voter list revisions and delimitation to undermine the Congress ahead of next year's Assembly elections

'Invasion by people of one religion' altering demography: Assam CM

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed on Tuesday that the indigenous communities of the state are facing "invasion" from people of "one religion", who are allegedly encroaching on land in different parts to alter the demography of those areas. He said the government's eviction drives, through which over 1.19 lakh bighas have been cleared since 2021, are a major step towards checking this alleged attempt by migrants to gain a political foothold in Assamese-majority areas. The chief minister did not specify who was making this alleged attempt, but most of the evicted people are Bengali-speaking Muslims. Addressing a press conference here, Sarma said that it has been found while conducting eviction drives that the encroachers are mostly people with own land in their native districts, and yet they move to settle illegally in distant parts of the state. Forest destruction is one of the issues. These people migrate to change the demography of that place, he claimed. Sarma sai

25,000 acres of land cleared of encroachment in Assam in 4 yrs: CM Himanta

Asserting that eviction drives will continue in Assam, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said that over 25,000 acres of land have been cleared of encroachment across the state in the last

Himanta Biswa Sarma urges removal of 'secularism, socialism' from Preamble

He said these words were not part of the original Constitution and should be dropped, as secularism goes against the Indian idea of Sarva Dharma Sambhava

Northeast can be national model for sustainable mining: G Kishan Reddy

At a conclave in Guwahati, G Kishan Reddy said the Northeast can lead India's sustainable mining drive as Centre backs real-time enforcement and resource mapping

Litmus test awaits new Congress Prez Gaurav Gogoi ahead of Assam polls

Elections to the Bodoland Territorial Council will test his leadership in Assam

Over 5K social media accounts from Islamic nations back Assam Cong: Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday alleged that over 5,000 social media accounts, mostly operated from Islamic countries, have become active in favour of the Assam Congress. Addressing a press conference, Sarma claimed that these accountsoriginating from 47 countries, with the highest numbers from Bangladesh and Pakistanhave been focusing exclusively on the activities of a particular Assam Congress leader and the party's state unit pages over the past month. "It is surprising that they do not comment on or like posts by Rahul Gandhi or even the Indian National Congress. They are only focused on a particular leader and the Assam Congress," Sarma said. Besides Assam, they post Islamic fundamentalist content, including pro-Palestine, Iran and Bangladesh's Chief Advisor Prof Md Yunus. Though the CM did not name the leader, he appeared to be referring to Gaurav Gogoi, who was appointed Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president in May last week. Sarma remarked, "We are

ONGC to permanently cap leaking oil well in Assam's Sivasagar: CM Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) will begin permanently capping the crude oil well in Sivasagar district that has been leaking gas for the past nine days. Speaking at a press conference, Sarma said ONGC had already implemented two emergency measures without success. "There are usually four emergency methods that ONGC and Oil India Limited (OIL) apply to check such leakages. ONGC has already implemented Plan A and Plan B without any success," he said. The energy major will now apply Plan C, which will cap the entire well permanently, and for this, US experts will reach Sivasagar by this evening, he said. 'Capping of the well will begin tomorrow and will be carried out in consultation with the US experts. It is expected to be completed within the next four or five days', he added. After exploring multiple approaches with great effort and precision, ONGC is now advancing with a more practical and safer strategy to cap the

Another 'anti-national' held in Assam, total 94 since Pahalgam attack

One more person has been apprehended for allegedly making "pro-Pakistan and communal posts" on social media, taking the total number of such arrests to 94 so far in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack in April, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. The person was arrested in Nalbari after constant monitoring, he said. "Crackdown on Anti-national elements continue. @KamrupPolice arrested Safiqul Haque, who was using different SIMs to use Facebook to post pro-Pakistan and communal posts," the chief minister wrote on 'X' on Wednesday. Sarma had earlier said the 'state-wide crackdown on traitors would continue and nobody would be spared. The police have launched action against those people who were allegedly indulging in 'anti-India and pro-Pakistan activities'. The chief minister had also said that the National Security Act (NSA) will be clamped on certain people arrested in such cases, but not on all. Opposition AIUDF MLA Aminul Islam was arrested on sedition charges for alle

Assam govt to intensify drive to identify illegal foreigners: CM Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said the state government would enforce a 1950 law to identify and evict illegal foreigners. He claimed that the law empowers the district commissioners to declare individuals as illegal immigrants and initiate eviction proceedings. Speaking during a special day-long Assembly session, he alleged that Congress does not value 'citizenship', as out of four family members of one of its leaders, three are foreigners. It was an apparent jibe at the opposition party's state president Gaurav Gogoi, who was seated at the visitors gallery of the Assembly in front of the treasury bench, whom the chief minister had been targeting for his alleged Pakistan links through his British wife. Sarma, replying to issues of detection and deportation of foreigners, said the state government will implement the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950, for the purpose. It allows the district commissioner to declare illegal foreigners and evict them. S

PM Modi speaks to Northeast leaders on floods, assures full support

Sikkim CM Prem Singh Tamang also shared a post on X, thanking PM Modi for his concern about the flood and landslide situation in the state

CM Himanta vows rapid action to identify, deport foreign nationals in Assam

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said the process to detect and deport declared foreigners will be fast-tracked, with legal steps taken against those not appealing in higher courts

Assam approves arms licences for indigenous people near Bangladesh border

Assam approves arms licences for indigenous people in vulnerable border areas near Bangladesh. CM clarifies the policy won't apply to inter-state borders. Opposition raises safety concerns

Why is Assam giving arms licences to indigenous people in ‘vulnerable’ areas

The Assam government will now issue arms licences to indigenous residents in “vulnerable” border areas. While the move is being framed as empowerment, critics fear it could inflame tensions.

Credible inputs suggest Gogoi's 'proximity' with Pakistan govt: Himanta

Claiming that there are credible inputs suggesting Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi's "proximity" with the Pakistani establishment, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said his admission of visiting that country "is just the beginning" of something "far more serious". Debunking claims that he had alleged links with the Pakistani establishment, Gogoi told a press conference in New Delhi that he had gone to Pakistan only once, 12 years ago. "Finally, Congress MP Shri Gaurav Gogoi has admitted that he visited Pakistan. But let us be very clear -- this is just the beginning, not the end. What lies ahead is far more serious. There exists every reasonable ground, supported by credible inputs and documented information, to suggest that Shri Gogoi has maintained proximity with the Pakistani establishment," Sarma posted on X. He said the Assam government is committed to transparency and accountability and will make everything public on September 10, once the Special Investigation Team .

Will eradicate child marriage in Assam by 2026, says CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

The Assam government's approach of taking legal action against child marriage led to an 81 per cent decline in such cases in 20 of its 35 districts between 2021-22 and 2023-24, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. The chief minister also vowed to eradicate child marriage completely in Assam by 2026, according to an official release. Assam's relentless campaign to weed out child marriage received commendation during the NDA chief ministers' conclave held here on Sunday, Sarma said. At the conclave, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Assam came in for much appreciation from the Union ministers, chief ministers of other states, and Modi himself, for its "vigorous and relentless" efforts to eliminate child marriage, he said. Modi asked the chief ministers of the NDA-ruled states to emulate the Assam model to eradicate the menace of child marriage, according to the release. Modi also asked officials to visit Assam to get a first-hand experience of how the state has done away

Assam alternative destination for electronics makers: Himanta Biswa Sarma

Assam the alternative destination for electronics makers

Bangladesh has '2 chicken necks', far more vulnerable, says Himanta Sarma

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma highlights two narrow corridors in Bangladesh, calling them more vulnerable than India's Siliguri corridor amid row over strategic access in the Northeast

Assam CM Sarma urges Vedanta, ITC to fast-track ₹5.18 trn investments

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma met top industrialists here and sought fulfilment of their commitments made at an investment summit held in Guwahati in February. The chief minister met Vedanta Group Chairman Anil Agarwal here on Friday evening and asked him to operationalise the group's investment commitment made during the Advantage Assam 2.0 investment summit, an official release said. Agarwal said the group is wholly committed to Assam's growth journey and is keen to expand its footprint in the state's hydrocarbon sector. Later, Sarma took to 'X' and wrote, "Today in New Delhi, I met the very enterprising Chairman of Vedanta Group Shri Anil Agarwal Ji". "We spoke on operationalising the group's investment commitment made during AdvantageAssam2. Vedanta is keen to expand its footprint in the state's hydrocarbon sector," he said. The chief minister also met the Managing Director of ITC Hotels, Anil Chadha, and discussed with him the potential of investment in the ...

71 'anti-nationals' arrested in Assam after Pahalgam attack: CM Himanta

Three more people have been apprehended in Assam for allegedly being involved in "anti-national" activities, following the Pahalgam terror attack, taking the total number of such arrests to 71 so far, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Monday. In a post on X, Sarma said one person each was arrested from Kokrajhar, Goalpara and South Salmara-Mankachar districts. "71 Anti-Nationals are now behind bars! @assampolice is strictly monitoring the digital space," he added. Earlier, opposition AIUDF MLA Aminul Islam was arrested on sedition charges for allegedly "defending" Pakistan and its complicity in the Pahalgam terror attack. After getting bail in the case, Islam was detained under the National Security Act (NSA). Sarma had, on May 2, threatened to take stringent action against those who raised the 'Pakistan zindabad' slogan in the aftermath of the Jammu and Kashmir terror attack last month.