Congress Criticizes Assam Government's Land Policies Amid Industrial Push
Opposition's Concerns Over Land Allocation
Guwahati, June 16: As the Assam government intensifies its efforts to acquire land for industrial development, the Congress party has strongly criticized Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's administration. They accuse the government of neglecting its electoral commitment to 'jaati, maati, bheti' (ethnicity, land, and hearth), thereby leaving indigenous populations without land.
Debabrata Saikia, the Leader of the Opposition, stated on Monday that the BJP-led government has consistently prioritized multinational corporations over local communities.
“Since 2016, the BJP has been appealing to voters with promises to protect Assam's ethnicity, land, and borders. The electorate placed their trust in them, but the party has clearly strayed from this promise,” Saikia remarked.
He highlighted the government's decision to allocate 5% of tea garden land for commercial use and the establishment of land banks as evidence of public land being transferred to private entities.
“The administration has circumvented legal protections to enable land transfers to corporations. The Prime Minister refers to the Northeast as 'Ashta Lakshmi', yet it appears he only sees 'Lakshmi' in the land, leading to the transfer of people's land to corporate giants like Adani and Ambani,” Saikia claimed.
He further accused the state government of operating in secrecy, keeping both the public and the Opposition uninformed.
“Legally, stakeholders should be notified and proper consultations conducted before any legislative changes. However, the government has ignored these protocols—neither the public nor the Opposition was consulted,” Saikia added.
Regarding the much-touted Mission Basundhara initiative, Saikia commented, “While it is promoted as beneficial, many eligible individuals have yet to receive their land rights.”
He also alleged that the government is formulating a new land policy that disproportionately favors industrialists, further marginalizing indigenous communities.
“This will lead to significant challenges for the populace. For example, the circle rate in Guwahati has been increased to a level that will be unmanageable for indigenous communities. The government could have exempted them from these rates and instead generated revenue from incoming businesses, but it chose not to,” he concluded.