We’re now dreaming of a new Assam: CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: Addressing a massive public gathering on the occasion of Bhoomi Pujan of the upcoming Kaziranga Elevated Corridor at Mouchanda Pathar in Kaliabor on Sunday, Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma said Assam has reached a historic milestone in its journey towards building a new Assam. The CM also slammed APCC president Gaurav Gogoi for his comments on the Kaziranga Elevated Corridor.

The Chief Minister stated that it was previously unthinkable for a Prime Minister to sanction nearly Rs. 7,000 crore for the construction of a 35-km elevated corridor through Kaziranga, with the sole purpose of safeguarding wildlife. Calling it an unprecedented gift, he said Prime Minister Modi had personally come to Kaliabor to present it to the people of Assam.

Highlighting Kaliabor’s historical significance, the Chief Minister said folklore holds that Lord Krishna rested at Kaliabor while taking Assam’s Rukmini to Dwarka in Gujarat. He said the Prime Minister’s presence on the sacred land symbolized the reaffirmation of the historic bond between Assam and Gujarat.

The Chief Minister recalled that a day earlier, at Guwahati’s Sarusajai Stadium, more than 10,000 artists showcased the vibrant Bodo culture through a Bagurumba dance performance, taking Assam’s cultural heritage to the global stage. He said that under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, Assam had secured a semiconductor industry, a bio-refinery, and one of the country’s largest fertilizer plants, besides getting UNESCO World Heritage Site status for Charaideo, classical language status for Assamese, and installation of a grand statue of Lachit Borphukan, marking the rise of a new and confident Assam.

The CM said the Kaziranga Elevated Corridor would reduce travel time between Upper Assam and Guwahati by at least one hour, strengthen connectivity, and further reinforce the foundation of a stronger Assam. He asserted that Assam now dreams big, and those dreams would be realized despite opposition and misinformation.

Referring to the flagging off of the country’s first Vande Bharat sleeper train between Guwahati and Kolkata a day earlier, CM Dr Sarma said that with the inauguration of two Amrit Bharat Express services, Assam had received three major rail services in just two days. On behalf of the people of the state, he expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister.

The Chief Minister also noted that projects such as multiple bridges over the Brahmaputra, medical colleges in almost every district, new universities, the Numaligarh–Gohpur tunnel road, the Kaziranga elevated corridor, the Rs. 22,000 crore Silchar–Guwahati corridor, and the Guwahati Ring Road once seemed unimaginable. He said Assam had now entered a new horizon of development and would never forget Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s contribution in steering the state on the path of progress and taking the Assamese language, Bihu, Jhumoir, Bagurumba, and the state’s cultural heritage to the world.

Taking a pot shot at Gaurav Gogoi, the CM said, “Yesterday, a Congress MP opposed the Kaziranga Elevated Corridor. I want to tell Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi to go on opposing it, but Assam is seeing a dream of touching the sky and development. I want to state clearly that Assam will not surrender to any Pakistani agent. I also want to state that Assam will not surrender before any unknown person. We’ll evict unknown faces from Kaziranga to construct the elevated corridor. This is our dream of a new Assam. The Assamese will not be frightened by anyone’s red eyes. If anybody shows us red eyes, we’ll fight until the last breath. Assam has now undergone a change, and no one will dare to kill a rhino in Kaziranga now.”

The Bhoomi Pujan for the Kaziranga Elevated Corridor by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was attended by Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya; Union Minister for Ports, Shipping, and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal; Union Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita; Assam ministers Atul Bora, Charan Boro, Krishnendu Paul, and Keshab Mahanta; MPs Kamakhya Prasad Tasa and Dilip Saikia; MLA Diplu Ranjan Sarma; several other MPs and MLAs; distinguished guests; and thousands of people from across the state.

Also Read: PM Launches Elevated Corridor, Flags Off Trains; Hails Kaziranga as Assam’s Soul