Guwahati: In a sharp rebuke of the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led administration, senior Congress leader and MP Gaurav Gogoi has launched a scathing attack, accusing the Chief Minister of orchestrating a campaign of mass displacement that has rendered every community in Assam homeless.
Addressing a press conference, Gogoi alleged that the government’s eviction drives, ostensibly for reclaiming land, are nothing but a tool to target vulnerable sections of society, including Bengalis, tribals, religious minorities, Scheduled Castes, and Other Backwards Classes. He claimed that these actions, executed under the guise of public interest, have left thousands of families without shelter.
Gogoi didn’t mince words, stating, “The Chief Minister has spared no one in his greed to accumulate property in the name of his family. They have made people from all communities homeless by bulldozing their houses.” He further contended that this widespread displacement has led to a significant erosion of public trust, causing a noticeable dip in the government’s popularity. The Congress MP’s criticism escalated as he remarked that the people of Assam would eventually want to see Himanta Biswa Sarma “not as the Chief Minister but behind bars” for what he described as “injustice and misuse of power.”
The fiery comments come at a time of intense debate surrounding the state government’s land recovery initiatives. While the administration maintains that these drives are essential for clearing encroached government and forest land, opposition parties, including the Congress, have consistently accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party of using the exercise in a selective and discriminatory manner to target specific communities.