From Bhupen Goswami
GUWAHATI : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma calls on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. After meeting Modi, Sarma said his vision has taken India to the height of prosperity. Assam has been a beneficiary of their bona fides. It is a great honour to work as the Chief Minister of Assam under his leadership. Talking to reporters after meeting Modi, newly appointed Assam Chief Minister and prominent BJP leader in the North East, Hemant Biswa Sarma said that if zero hour was started in Gujarat, I should also start this exercise in Assam. Talking about the meeting, he said that the Prime Minister has advised me that he should adopt a concept like ‘Zero Hour’ even during cabinet meetings. So, they will hear criticism about the Government.I have learnt from him all the experience that the Prime Minister has experienced as chief minister in Gujarat.
He said, “I think Modiji has done this in Gujarat, so I should also start this exercise in Assam. He said that there will be a lot of good speakers of your work, while there will be fewer bad-talking people. Unless you hear evil, you will not be able to improve. Replying to a question, he said that the Prime Minister not only listens to criticism but also works to improve it. Referring to the recent incident, he said west bengal CM Mamata Banerjee had left the Cyclone Yas review meeting convened by PM Modi.He said he has to respect the post of Prime Minister. That is not how the country will run. At the same time, referring to Mamata Banerjee, he said, “How can a CM say why should I wait for 30 minutes for the Prime Minister?” I have never heard such things in my entire political career, he said. I have seen the Chief Minister sitting in the waiting room for two to three hours to meet Sonia Gandhi, he also said. He said he should have kept his ego aside and greeted the Prime Minister. Sarma said the Union Government will continue development activities in all states, irrespective of whoever is the government.
He said that as the Chief Minister of the state, he is committed to work for everyone without any discrimination. He also said those who cannot prove their Indian citizenship in NRC and related judicial process can be denied franchise even before they are sent to Bangladesh. He informed that more than 19 lakh applicants have been excluded under NRC so far. He said the State Government demands re-examination of 20 per cent of the names included in the border districts and 10 per cent elsewhere. He said people will get a chance to appeal to the foreigners tribunal in the state even after they are out of nrc. The chief minister said on CAA that caa is considered controversial in Assam while Assam was a vocal supporter of it. He said the CAA is shouldering our historic responsibility. It should not be seen through the prism of communalism.
Himanta Biswa Sarma is making headlines for her statement on former Congress president Rahul Gandhi. In fact, Sarma said at an event that she was grateful to Rahul Gandhi. Because Rahul Gandhi has also contributed a lot to his becoming chief minister somewhere. Sarma referred to a meeting with Rahul Gandhi while in the Congress and claimed that she (Rahul Gandhi) likes to play with her dogs more than talking to leaders. Himanta Biswa Sarma was part of the Congress party before joining the BJP. Referring to a meeting with Rahul Gandhi while in the Congress, Sarma said that there was a meeting on assam assembly elections during that time. It discussed defeating the BJP. Apart from him and Rahul Gandhi, there were other prominent leaders of the party in the meeting. He said there was no interest from Rahul Gandhi during the entire meeting. He was constantly playing with his dog. Sarma said that after the meeting he came to know that the dog’s name was ‘PIDI’. Sarma said tea and coffee were invited for the leaders present at the meeting. Meanwhile, the dog sitting next to Rahul Gandhi went to the table and took out a biscuit from the plate there and started eating. Rahul Gandhi then looked at him and laughed. Sarma said he was wondering why he (Rahul Gandhi) was doing it by looking at him. Sarma said that during the meeting he was waiting with a cup of tea when Rahul Gandhi would order another plate instead of a dog’s jute plate. But that did not happen. Then they saw senior leaders like Tarun Gogoi and CP Joshi picking up biscuits from the same plate and eating them. Sarma said that since he did not always visit Rahul Gandhi. On this, he realized that it was all normal.
