‘Congress destroyed Kaziranga, BJP protected it’: Himanta Biswa Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday, August 26 criticised the Congress over the management and conservation of Kaziranga National Park, while weighing in on the ongoing debate over the eco-sensitive zone around the protected area.

Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Sarma claimed that there is currently no eco-sensitive zone in Kaziranga and accused successive Congress governments of failing to protect the national park.

“Congress destroyed Kaziranga. BJP has protected Kaziranga,” Sarma said, asserting that the BJP government had taken measures to strengthen conservation efforts in the park.

Targeting Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi’s father and former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, Sarma said, “If Gaurav Gogoi’s father had remained Chief Minister for another five years, there would not have been a single rhino left in Kaziranga.”

The Assam Chief Minister also called upon the Congress to apologise for what he described as the deterioration and destruction of Kaziranga during its tenure.

“Congress should apologise for destroying Kaziranga,” Sarma said.

His remarks came amid the continuing debate over the eco-sensitive zone surrounding Kaziranga National Park, with conservation concerns intersecting with discussions on development and land-use activities in areas around the protected forest.

Sarma’s comments have added a political dimension to the ongoing discussion over the future management of Kaziranga, one of Assam’s most prominent wildlife conservation areas and a key habitat for the one-horned rhinoceros.