Guwahati: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday asserted that Assam has left Chhattisgarh and Chandigarh behind in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and would overtake even Punjab within three years.
Addressing the third edition of the “Republic Summit” on the theme “Time of Transformation” at Taj Palace in New Delhi, Sarma said that Assam was on a roll with protests and agitation taking a backseat and development taking place on various fronts.
“Assam has not even witnessed any protest in the last two years neither from the left wing, the right wing or the students,” he asserted, adding that the state has surpassed Chhattisgarh and Chandigarh in terms of GDP and will take over Punjab in the next three years.
“We are aspiring to become a leading state among 10 top states of India and then aim for a position among five foremost states of the country,” the chief minister said.
In regard to competitive federalism among states for nation transformation, Sarma unequivocally said that competitive federalism amongst states was welcome as long as it contributed to nation building, but at the same time, regional disparity must be removed.
Taking a dig at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in the national capital, the chief minister said that “Unlike the “mohalla clinics” in New Delhi, Assam was going all out for setting up 24 medical college and hospitals, of which 12 have been already inaugurated along with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS-Guwahati) coming up in Changsari recently.
In reply to a question posed by the anchor, chief minister Sarma said he advocated for a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) for the country. “Like the Hindus, a Muslim must have one wife instead of three wives. I want Muslim women not to feel exploited in any manner but feel empowered,” he said, adding, “We believe that Uniform Civil Code is one of the agendas which we need to accomplish for the women of India. You cannot allow a husband to have three wives.”
Dwelling at length on the Uniform Civil Code, Sarma said, “UCC is simple, not a complicated one. If a Hindu husband has one wife, then a Muslim or other people of other religions should have the same facility. I am putting it in a positive way because if a Hindu woman can enjoy that privilege why cannot a Muslim woman enjoy that in independent India.”
“Are our Muslim women second-class citizens of this country? Article 14 (Right to Equality) is essential for them as well. So UCC is our responsibility and this is what we owe to the Muslim women of this country.”
The Chief Minister pointed out that people belonging to minority communities have benefited from the pro-people policies of the BJP dispensations.
Sarma said he felt happy to see many new faces from the Muslim community holding administrative posts, becoming doctors or engineers.
In his own inimitable style, the Assam chief minister replied in Hindi, interspersed with English, that there has been a paradigm shift in development with peace reigning supreme in the Northeast part of the country under the progressive leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In the same breath, Sarma asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the “undefeated” leader of the country and that he would continue to be at the helm of affairs for the next 15 to 20 years.
“Assam has changed drastically since 2014 (the year the Modi-led government took charge at the Centre). Peace has returned and the Northeast has been brought into the mainstream. I have also removed security from our MLAs. Security perception pertaining to the Northeast has changed,” he said.
Spelling out the changes that have swept Northeast India in recent years, the chief minister said that the region has been through decades of armed conflict owing to separatist elements but there have been drastic changes. “Now, Northeast India is much more connected to the rest of the country,” Sarma said.
Terming Northeast a beautiful region, he said, the region had a challenging time because of the conflicts. “Like you (media) air an incident of bombing or gun fire in northern India throughout the entire day. But I have been raised amid bombings. These (things) were very normal. That was an essential part of our life,” Sarma said.
“Just the other day, two terrorists were taken down. Today you visit Nagaland, perhaps the other side (enemies) has more sophisticated weapons than the police. The same was in Manipur and Assam. After 2014, such incidents have come down drastically. Peace has returned. Northeast has been brought to the mainstream,” he said.
Sarma also claimed that one significant achievement of the Narendra Modi government is the effort to reach out to the Northeast over the years. “We don’t even need security in Assam anymore,” the chief minister said, hinting at the atmosphere of peace and stability in a region that was once adversely affected by insurgency and agitation.
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Regarding his meeting with West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee in Darjeeling, prior to the Vice Presidential election, Sarma, while downplaying the politics, said he met Mamata after becoming the chief minister to build a rapport with her as Assam shares border with West Bengal and mutual interests of both states are involved.
The chief minister acknowledged the fact that Mamata didi was unmistakably a good host. “Mamata didi is undeniably a good host as she herself prepares tea for her guests,” he said, with applause from the jam-packed audience.
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