Sarma commits citizenship for Bengali Hindus, jobs

Guwahati: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is campaigning in the Bengali-dominated Barrak Valley, said on Saturday that he will provide citizenship and resolve the issue of "doubtful (D)-voters" of Hindu-Bengali in the next six months after the Lok Sabha elections in the state.

D-voters are those who could not provide evidence in favour of their Indian nationality. The issue of D-voters is one of the most contentious topics in Assam's political and social sphere. The concept of D-voters was introduced in Assam in 1997 by the Election Commission. It does not exist anywhere else in India. There are about 96,987 D-voters in the state.

Attacking the Congress, Mr Sarma dubbed the Opposition party "an old note, which is no longer a legal tender".

The Assam chief minister also pledged freebies like monthly cash benefits under a state government scheme for 26 lakh families and scholarships for female students, among others, to woo the voters. He also assured free houses for tea garden workers.

The BJP has fielded transport minister Parimal Suklabaidya from the Silchar Lok Sabha constituency, which is reserved for the Scheduled Castes. Polling in the constituency is scheduled for April 26, the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections.

Stating that the Congress is in the intensive care unit and unlikely to win any elections for the next 50 years, Mr Sarma also slammed the Trinamul Congress for a reign of terror in West Bengal and discrepancies in social welfare schemes.

“We will create jobs for youths, provide higher education opportunities for girls, bridge the divide between the (Bengali-dominated) Barak Valley and the (Assamese-dominated) Brahmaputra Valley and grant citizenship to Bengali Hindus,” he said.

Addressing another public rally, Mr Sarma said, “Someone who had been thinking of supporting the Congress will not do so if the person sees Rahul ‘baba’ (Gandhi).”

Asserting that his government is focusing on inclusive development in all areas, he said that his government has also decided to provide 50,000 more jobs in addition to the 1 lakh jobs that his government has already given.