Cooperative federalism: How Himanta Biswa Sarma made Delhi look at Assam

Bishaldeep Kakati         Bipasha Saikia

(Advocate, Gauhati High Court)      (PhD Research Scholar, NLUJA, Assam)

The Northeast region has frequently scrutinised the federalism enshrined in the Indian Constitution. For years, Assam experienced a version of centre-state relations or federalism that existed only on paper. The dominance of the Congress-led central government was visible in the state, as it grappled with proper administrative support and policies. This situation directly resulted in the state government falling short of properly addressing the core issues of identity and security. The Congress-led union government further exacerbated Assam's long-term struggles with demographic changes and developmental backwardness through laws and policies that did not benefit the state. In fact, the laid-back approach of the then-central government to implementing the accords and the less priority shown in terms of budgetary allocation meant that the state was far from witnessing development and growth. This approach of the central government at that time resulted in the alienation of Assam from mainland India, and the state always made headlines for its prolonged insurgency and economic stagnation. However, a noticeable shift in centre-state relations occurred when the BJP government came to power in 2014, and this relationship experienced a decisive turnaround after Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma became the Chief Minister of Assam in 2021. Himanta Biswa Sarma's bold governance, which exercised authority with clarity in terms of policy formulation and decision-making on indigenous issues and interests, has compelled the Centre to engage actively with the issues facing Assam. It is his visionary approach, coupled with calculative measures, that has helped Assam become a strategic partner of the union government, diminishing the old story of just being a state burdened by different issues. The current centre-state relationship between Assam and the central government can be called a beneficial way of practising federalism, if not entirely.

During the Congress era, federalism in Assam, except for the period immediately after independence, existed more as a constitutional concept than as a practical reality. The demand of the people of Assam for the 1985 Assam Accord represented a federal understanding between the Centre and the people of Assam. The Assam Accord had a cut-off date of 24 March 1971 for safeguarding Assamese identity by detection, deletion and deportation of post-1971 illegal migrants and strong and proper border fencing. The then-Congress tried to address this basic demand with the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act of 1983. In fact, this method applied exclusively to Assam and surprisingly resulted in making taking action against infiltrators extraordinarily difficult. Later, it was on July 12, 2025, that the Apex Court of India declared it unconstitutional, as the law made the burden of proof lie upon the state rather than the illegal immigrants, making both detection and selection almost impossible. The Congress's border fencing was slow and ineffective, allowing illegal immigrants to enter. The state's strategic positioning was also overlooked, and budgetary support for infrastructure development for the state and the Northeast region remained far below the national requirements. Assam's policies mostly focused on electoral calculations, rarely addressing the state's demographic dilemma, land alienation, or other related issues. This questionable approach weakened the centre-state relationship and shook the legitimacy of federal institutions in a country like India.

However, as soon as Assam's current chief minister took over the governance of Assam, his action-driven approach changed the existing narrative, and with his popular leadership, an effort was made to establish the federal balance. Sarma, who was initially a powerful minister of Assam from Congress, focused on work ethics and established a harmonious relationship between him and the common people of Assam. He relentlessly worked to improve the health and the education sectors of Assam, and his leadership skills soon made people of Assam address him as the next chief minister of the state. Due to personal differences between him and the Congress leadership, Sarma left Congress and joined the BJP in 2015 and, thereby, became the chief minister in 2021. As Sarma took over the leadership of the state of Assam, he formulated a modus operandi that combined protection of Assam's indigenous people and their issues with central schemes and resources. Effective governance on core priorities earned greater central attention, and that prompted the union government to focus more on the development of Assam and the Northeast region.

This approach visibly enhanced security and demographic measures. The number of insurgency-led violence incidents in the Northeast fell down by 74%, with civilian deaths down by 89%. In Assam, Sarma's government targeted evictions of illegally encroached government and forest land, and the working and functioning of the Foreigners' Tribunals was strengthened to address the issue of infiltration. Legislation like the Assam Heritage (Tangible) Protection, Preservation, Conservation and Maintenance Act, 2020, was also enacted against land alienation near heritage sites. Further, the 2019 NRC excluded about 19.06 lakh individuals. Mission Basundhara was also started, providing land pattas and rights to nearly 10 million families. Thus, these constitutional and timely steps aimed to resolve long-pending issues and further build stability for deeper centre-state cooperation. During this period, Assam also improved its economic performance, which further enhanced the state's federal position. In the case of Assam, RBI data recorded 45 per cent economic expansion between 2020 and 2025. The same was well above the national average of 29 per cent. The GSDP growth has also been marching toward a Rs 10 lakh crore economy by 2028. The state also hosted many pivotal summits that secured over Rs 79,000 crore in investment commitments. The economic expansion of Assam thus highlights how CM Sarma's bold and decisive approach has formed the base of this cooperative federalism.

Sarma's government also tried upholding the concept of a welfare state as enumerated in the Constitution. The welfare schemes resulted in the delivery of further gains. Orunodoi provided monthly direct transfers to over 38 lakh women from vulnerable families, allowing many of them to stand independently with financial security. Further, for the very first time after years, Kaziranga recorded zero rhino poaching in 2022, and the Assam government's conservation policies stood as an example for many other national parks and sanctuaries.

As such, the contrast between the Congress-led and BJP-led eras of Assam and the Northeast is obvious. The Centre previously weakened the state's autonomy via discriminatory laws and delayed federal agreements, leading to conflicts most of the time. However, the shrewd leadership of Himanta Biswa Sarma on identity and security has enabled real collaboration on development and strategic planning. The state under his leadership now attempts to use its powers responsibly, aligning it with the broader national goals.

Himanta Biswa Sarma's approach has proven to everyone that the approach to protecting civilisational identity while aiming for rapid development makes a state indispensable to the Union. His model of governance offers a working template for centre-state relations in a diverse country like India. It is in this regard that one can rightly state that cooperative federalism arises when states govern clearly and the centre rewards results with partnership, not control.