Himanta Biswa Sarma: Why is Congress opposing tribal belt and block law they introduced?

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on September 14 criticized the Congress party today over its stance on the Tribal Belt and Block Law. Speaking to reporters, Sarma highlighted the inconsistency in Congress's position, noting that the law, which was originally enacted by the Congress government, is now being publicly opposed by the same party.

"The issue of the Tribal Belt and Block Law is quite perplexing. We did not introduce this law; it was enacted by the Congress party. Now, it is difficult to understand why the Congress party is opposing it," Sarma said. He challenged the Congress to clarify its position on the law and accused the party of undermining constructive opposition by changing its stance.

Sarma also addressed the ongoing eviction drive in Kochutoli village, Sonapur, urging Congress to utilize the forthcoming Assembly session to discuss the law. He suggested that if the Congress believes the law is flawed, they should propose an amendment or a new law. "Until the Tribal Belt and Block Law is either removed or amended, the Congress cannot oppose it. Even if they do, we will not agree with their stance," he asserted.

The Tribal Belt and Block Law, which governs certain protected regions in Assam, was initially established under the Assam Land and Revenue Regulation Law, 1886, during British rule and was later implemented by Assam's first Chief Minister, Gopinath Bardoloi, in 1947.

Earlier on September 13, Sarma had claimed that slogans raised by the encroachers during the eviction drive in Kochutoli village were akin to those raised by the protesters in Bangladesh. He asserted, "The encroachers disrupted the train movements and wielded sharp weapons and sticks and thus, posed a serious threat. "If adequate police reinforcement had not been rushed to the spot immediately, the situation would have turned worse," Sarma said.

An eviction operation in Kochutoli turned violent as Bengali-speaking Muslim villagers who had been removed from the encroached land arrived and attacked officials and police. The police fired live cartridges, killing two and injuring several more including 22 government officials and police. Sarma said eviction efforts in the Tribal Belt and Block areas would go on unabated with regard to the removal of illegal settlers.

Sarma defined the settlers as those who are not tribals, yet have land and voter registrations in their names. "Inch by inch, they expand before creating a vote bank," he assailed their tactics, "so that it gets difficult to evict them." "A few among them then get into politics and do not allow eviction while political parties also raise opposition that voters will be disappointed with them," Sarma explained.

The CM accused brokers of facilitating these illegal settlements and said that those identified will be arrested soon. The opposition leader Debabrata Saikia, meanwhile, accused Sarma of court order violation during the eviction process. "The attack on police could be part of a conspiracy," said G P Singh, the Director General of Police, referring to the clash between the mob and the security personnel, and added investigation into the incident is underway to handle the situation.