Sarbananda Sonowal Interview: We are here to protect interests of people of Assam… they believe us. CAA will no way be an issue this election’

In an exclusive interview to The Indian Express, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal talks on a wide range of issues pertaining to his government and the upcoming assembly elections.

Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal goes into the Assembly elections at the head of a government that has held firm ground even as the state battled contentious issues like the preparation of the National Register of Citizens and the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. He spoke to The Indian Express on Thursday night at his official residence in Guwahati on a wide range of issues pertaining to his government and the elections. Excerpts:

What do you consider the major achievements of your government?

Whatever promises we made in 2016, we have implemented them in letter and spirit. Be it tackling corruption, pollution and extremism, or sealing the Indo-Bangla border… In every sector we have performed well visibly. Our government has taken both the Valleys of Assam — Brahmaputra and Barak — together and moved ahead on the path of development. Rhino poaching has come down majorly, with 70 poachers convicted and 340 arrested during our government. This is an outstanding achievement, never done in the Congress regime.

People have seen growth and tasted success with our government. Therefore, the people of Assam are happy with us.

Moreover, people have received 100% benefit of government schemes, especially due to the implementation of digital pathways like DBT. Earlier, during the Congress regime, there were always middlemen who took advantage of the illiteracy and poverty of the poorest of the poor. As a result, the amounts allocated in their name were siphoned off midway. Those corrupt practices and layers of middlemen have been totally removed. As a result, the common man is effectively receiving the benefits and that has generated confidence in the government. That is our great success.

People have not only got justice, they are able to lead a life of dignity, with pride and prestige. Our government was able to provide social security and economic upliftment to each and every section of society.

How do you see the Congress-AIUDF alliance?

Earlier, as the state BJP president, I used to say that the ground reality is that the Congress and AIUDF, though they are not disclosing their tie-up in public, are two sides of the same coin. At one point, the Congress had openly challenged the existence of Badruddin Ajmal by asking ‘Who’s Badruddin?’. Now look what they have done! This unholy nexus will not be accepted by the people of Assam. The bona fide Indian citizens will never allow this nexus to come to power.

Why is it an unholy alliance?

It is. They pose a threat to the very existence of the people of Assam, Assamese culture and civilisation. During the long period of its rule, the Congress never cared about the rights, culture, heritage and identity of the people of Assam.

During the Assam Movement (1979-85), instead of taking the people into confidence, they killed more than 860 innocent people. That’s the proof that the Congress is not at all bothered about the rights, hopes, aspirations, expectations and existence of the indigenous people of Assam. Rather, they are interested in bringing illegal migrants into Assam and settling them illegally, just to create a vote bank. This has genuinely posed a threat to the identity of the local people. We have to protect our land, culture, heritage and civilisation, you cannot deny that. Interests of the greater Assamese society need to be protected. The Congress cannot be trusted by the people of Assam. Every time they have failed to protect the bona fide greater Assamese society.

You are hailed as a ‘jatiya nayak (community hero)’ in Assam for your key role in getting the controversial IMDT (Illegal Migrants Determination by Tribunal) Act repealed by the Supreme Court in 2005. Today, two new Assamese regionalist parties, originating out of the anti-CAA protests, have come up and are in alliance. Will this alliance be able to make a dent in the BJP’s electoral prospects?

These are the same people who had misled the people of Assam… Do you remember how they claimed that (due to the CAA) 1.5-2 crore people will come into Assam (from Bangladesh)? Th people of Assam are politically very aware. They have discovered that these leaders told lies for their own vested political interests. They spread misinformation and misconception and tried to take advantage of people’s emotions.

They wanted to put lies into the minds of the people. But later on, when we made our stand clear, that we are here to protect the interests of the people of Assam, the people discarded their call and accepted our call. The CAA will no way be an issue this election. The people of Assam believe us, and not these people. I consider the people of Assam as my parents, we have never misled them.

Apart from the CAA, the Opposition is also attacking the government over not moving ahead with the NRC and not taking steps for implementing Clause 6 of the Assam Accord, which promised to protect the interests of the Assamese people?

Regarding Clause 6, we have already constituted a committee. The committee submitted its report after thorough consultation with all the stakeholders. Now, the government will make its observation, make a proper scrutiny of their report, about its constitutional implications. They have given us two years’ time… So, it’s positively there.

As far as the NRC is concerned, we got to know that there were reports of defects in it (the final list)… People have apprehensions that errors have taken place in its preparation. People of Assam wanted an error-free NRC. So we have filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court requesting that we should be allowed to do a re-verification of 20% of the included names in border districts and 10% in other districts of the state. The government stands by this re-verification demand.

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