Land ‘illegally' held by Assam CM will be returned to poor if Congress voted to power, says party
At a press conference in Guwahati, Gogoi alleged that the land had been acquired 'under the pretense of safeguarding land rights' and would be returned to 'the poor through a decision in the very first cabinet meeting of the new Congress government'.
Elections for Assam's 126 Assembly seats are likely to be held in March or April next year.
The Congress leader also claimed that the people of Assam have become disillusioned with the Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state, PTI reported.
He added that it was his duty to fulfill the declaration made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi that Sarma would be put behind bars if the party comes to power in Assam.
Gogoi also accused the Sarma government of targeting linguistic and religious minorities through eviction drives against tribal communities, including the Bodos, Tiwas, Karbis, Rabhas and Misings.
He added that such drives were being carried out in violation of the court orders, PTI reported.
Gogoi's comments come amid a series of 'anti-encroachment' operations carried out by the Sarma government in recent months.
Since June 16, seven major eviction drives have taken place in Assam. Since then, about 5,300 families, mostly Bengali-origin Muslims, have been displaced from their homes.
On July 24, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a contempt petition against Assam's chief secretary and Goalpara district authorities for alleged violations of the court's earlier guidelines on eviction and demolition drives.
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