As the BJP celebrated the swearing-in of the party’s first Chief Minister in Assam on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised that progress of North-East India was imperative for the overall development of the country. The Prime Minister said he hoped that the BJP-led new Government in Assam would take the State to great heights.
Speaking at the swearing-in ceremony of Sarbananda Sonowal, Modi said Sarbananda will not leave any stone unturned to bring ‘sarva anand’ (overall happiness) to Assam.
“The North-East has always remained a priority for us. I have always believed that the North-East is one of the most important parts of India’s overall development. This is the reason we have announced the Act East policy, which will encourage India to engage with its eastern neighbours through India’s North-East,” Modi said.
Modi heaped praise on the new Chief Minister and said that Sonowal and his team would do everything possible to develop the State.
“I have always believed the India has to develop in its entirety and if the country has to develop, we cannot leave behind the North-East,” Modi said adding that the Central Government would give all support to the new Assam Government under the leadership of Sonowal.
Modi said the Central Government believes in competitive cooperative federalism and said development is a continuous process. He said the NDA Government will give the States what they want to boosth the process of development.
Modi stressed on participation of the people for the sake of good governance.
“I believe that the Assam Government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Sonowal, will work shoulder-to-shoulder with the people of Assam and the Central Government at Delhi will give all the support to achieve and fulfil the expectations of the people,” said Modi.
The PM also thanked the people of Assam for a historic and decisive mandate for the BJP. On his part, Sonowal promised a “corruption-free” and “illegal-foreigners-free” Assam as he took oath of office and secrecy along with ten other colleagues in the presence of veteran BJP leader lK Advani and Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
The glittering swearing-in ceremony came as a reminder of the first Asom Gana Parishad (AGP)-led Government that came to power in 1985 while riding on a six-year-long anti-illegal foreigners movement in Assam.
While the AGP Government under the leadership of then Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta took oath at the Nehru Stadium in the city, Sonowal and his colleagues took oath on Veterinary College ground at Khanapara area that was attended by thousands of people.
Along with Sonowal, other BJP leaders, including Himanta Biswa Sarma, Parimal Suklabaidya, Chandra Mohan Patowary, Ranjit Dutta, Pallab lochan Das and Naba Doley, took oath as Ministers. Four of the alliance partners, including Atul Bora and Keshab Mahanta of the AGP and Pramila Rani Brahma and Rihan Daimary, too took oath as Ministers.
“We promise you a corruption-free, illegal foreigner-free and pollution-free Assam in the days to come,” Sonowal said in his brief speech after the ceremony, while seeking support of all the people in Assam.
He also thanked the people for giving a historic mandate to the party in the election and said that his team would try its best to initiate overall development of Assam in line with Prime Minister Modi-led NDA Government at the Centre.
Sonowal, who began his political career as a student leader with the All Assam Students Union later joined the AGP. He had approached the Supreme Court against the Illegal Migrants’ (Determination by Tribunal) Act 1983, forcing the apex court to strike down the infamous Act in 2005.
Sonowal joined the BJP in 2011 and was made the president of the party ahead of the 2014 lok Sabha polls when the BJP bagged seven out of total 14 lok Sabha seats. He was made a Union Minister after the lok Sabha polls. The party top brass brought him back to lead the BJP again ahead of this year’s Assembly polls, where the party created history by scoring 60 seats on its own.