Himanta Biswa Sarma: Congress tortured Gorkhas in Assam

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on November 7 strongly criticized the Congress party for its alleged mistreatment of the Gorkha and Adivasi communities during its rule, drawing sharp contrasts between the Congress-led regime and the current BJP government. 

Speaking at a rally in Behali, Sarma questioned the Congress party's historical treatment of the Gorkha and Adivasi people, saying, "When Congress was in power, hundreds of Gorkha and Adivasi individuals were killed in Assam. But under the BJP government, not a single such incident has occurred." He referred to multiple incidents of violence involving extremist groups, including the NDFB (National Democratic Front of Boroland), during Congress' tenure.

Citing specific events, Sarma recalled the 2004 Biswanath district killings, where 12 people from the Gorkha, Adivasi, and Assamese communities were shot dead by NDFB militants. "On October 4, 2004, in Biswanath district, 12 people from the Gorkha, Adivasi, and Assamese communities were killed by bullets from NDFB militants," Sarma said. He further mentioned subsequent NDFB attacks, including those in 2014, where 27 people were killed in Mati Alu Basti, Simangpara, and Sindhiya, and additional attacks in Jongalbasti, Batasipur, Santipur and Dhekiajuli.

Sarma added that under the Congress-led government, the Gorkhas and other indigenous communities were labeled as "foreigners" and their struggles were overlooked. "The Congress called our indigenous Gorkhas foreigners, labeling them as 'D voters'," he said. Sarma said that these communities faced systemic discrimination and were denied their rightful place in Assamese society.

Speaking on the legacy of Gorkha leader Chabilal Upadhyaya, Sarma mentioned his significant contribution to the Assamese language movement and said, "Chabilal Upadhyaya, a great leader, fought for the Assamese language to become the official language of Assam. His descendants should never have been labeled foreigners by the Congress."

Sarma also touched on his recent initiative to honor Upadhyaya's legacy. "A statue of Chabilal Upadhyaya was unveiled in Tezpur's Ananda Chandra Agarwala park, and I am planning to build a larger-than-life statue of this great personality in Guwahati," he said.