Assam CM unveils Majuli roadmap; promises medical college, erosion shield

Guwahati, March 30: Stepping up the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) campaign in Upper Assam, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, on Monday, announced a series of major development projects for Majuli while campaigning for party candidate Bhuban Gam.

Addressing a public rally in the river island, Sarma outlined a multi-pronged roadmap to position Majuli as a future educational and cultural hub, with a focus on healthcare, higher education, infrastructure and erosion control.

“We will establish a medical college in Majuli and sanction Rs 250 crore for the development of Majuli University for Culture into a full fledged University. Our aim is to transform Majuli into an educational hub, with a focus on subjects like Artificial Intelligence, Economics, Political Science and more,” the Chief Minister said.

Highlighting infrastructural gaps, Sarma also announced plans to build a large cultural venue in the district.

“Every time I visit Majuli, I realise there is no proper auditorium. We will construct an auditorium with a capacity of 2,000 people,” he added.

The Chief Minister stressed the need to protect Majuli from recurring floods and erosion, announcing a major riverbank protection initiative.

“We will be able to recover and protect nearly 45,000 bighas of farmland through geo-tube embankment development from upper to lower Majuli. This is crucial for farmers’ welfare,” he said.

Sarma also invoked the region’s cultural legacy, referring to the spiritual and historical significance of Srimanta Sankardeva and Majuli’s Vaishnavite heritage.

Launching a sharp political attack on the Congress, the Chief Minister alleged that previous governments had neglected the constituency.

“For the Congress, Majuli is a burden. For us, Majuli is an ideal constituency,” he said.

He further claimed that Congress leaders rarely visited the island during their tenure.

“In the last five years, I have visited Majuli at least 15 times. The number of visits made by me and former Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal cannot be matched even if you add all visits made by previous Congress Chief Ministers,” Sarma said.

Escalating his criticism, Sarma accused the Congress of prioritising certain vote banks over indigenous concerns.

“They did not visit Majuli often, but went to areas where illegal Bangladeshi immigrants are more. For them, such people were more important,” he alleged.

Positioning the election as an ideological choice, the Chief Minister questioned the Congress’s narrative of a “new Assam”.

“Is there any greater figure born on this land than Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardeva? Or a greater warrior than Sukapha? Do we want an Assam shaped by them or a new Assam shaped by the Congress?” he asked.