Himanta accuses Congress of allowing forest land encroachment in Assam

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday alleged that the Congress had allowed encroachment on 30 lakh bighas of forest land during its rule in the State.

He said 1.5 lakh bighas of the encroached land have been freed.

Delivering his last speech in the outgoing Assam Assembly, Sarma said the BJP Government has fought against several “Congress legacies” to carry forward a transformative journey of the State. “The Congress left 30 lakh bighas of forest land (almost 10 lakh acres) for encroachment. We have carried out eviction from 1.5 lakh bighas,” he added.

Not a single house of tribal families has been demolished during the eviction drive, he said, adding that they have been provided with land pattas.

“We are fighting the Congress legacy. We are fighting their legacies on multiple fronts — MMR, IIMR, child marriage, polygamy, corruption and many more... today, Assam is the shining spot of the Indian economy,” he added. The Assam assembly elections are due in a few months.