Congress to launch land rights movement in Assam, slams CM for corruption & eviction
In a separate incident, Ripun Bora highlighted that evictions first began in 2016 under Sarbananda Sonowal's tenure;
Nalbari, July 18: The Congress will spearhead a movement in Assam to safeguard the land and rights of the people, announced Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Gaurav Gogoi during a visit to Nalbari on Friday.
The APCC chief defended Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's recent remark, in which he said that Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma would be sent to jail, as a reflection of public sentiment in Assam.
“Rahul Gandhi only voiced what the people of Assam have been feeling for a long time – that they want Himanta Biswa Sarma in jail. His tenure has created trouble for everyone – from farmers and journalists to government officials and the poor. People are observing how the Chief Minister and his family are aggressively acquiring land. That public frustation is now evident, and it seems to have made the Chief Minister nervous,” Gogoi said.
The APCC chief accused the Chief Minister and his government of indulging in corruption and syndicates while talking about development.
“The Chief Minister speaks of afforestation, but how many trees have they slashed down in Kaziranga and Karbi Anglong? They have flattened the hills of Umrangso in the name of coal syndicate,” Gogoi said.
He further added, “Saplings distributed by the Chief Minister for afforestation have mostly died. Even the cows brought in for the Garukhuti project may have been misappropriated. There are serious allegations of cattle being stolen under the project,” Gogoi said.
In a separate press conference held in Guwahati on the same day, senior Congress leader Ripun Bora alleged that evictions in Assam began under the BJP government in 2016, when Sarbananda Sonowal was the Chief Minister.
Bora expressed concern that land which once belonged to Assam’s indigenous communities is now being handed over to capitalists from outside the state.
“It used to be the rule of the people and their elected representatives. Now, it has become the rule of corporate giants like Adani and Ambani. Indigenous people are being displaced to make way for them,” he said.