Guwahati's new flyover honours Syama Prasad Mookerjee’s legacy in Assam

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday, May 22, said a newly constructed flyover in Guwahati would be inaugurated in the name of Syama Prasad Mookerjee, describing it as a tribute to the leader’s role in ensuring Assam remained part of India during Partition.
In a post on X ahead of the inauguration, the Chief Minister said many people may question why a flyover in Guwahati was being named after Mookerjee, adding that the answer lay in a lesser-known chapter of Assam’s history.
Sarma said that during the Partition period in 1947, the Muslim League had planned to include the whole of Bengal, including Calcutta, and the Northeast within East Pakistan.
He claimed that Syama Prasad Mookerjee, along with Gopinath Bordoloi and others, led the political and intellectual resistance against the move and worked to keep Assam within India.
“Had they succeeded, there would be no Assam in India today,” the Chief Minister stated.
Sarma said the flyover was not merely an infrastructure project but also a symbolic tribute to Mookerjee’s contribution towards preserving Assam’s geographical and cultural identity.

He further said that Mookerjee’s contribution to Assam extended beyond politics and geography, noting that during his tenure as Vice-Chancellor, he advocated for Assamese as a medium of instruction in schools in Assam.
The Chief Minister also acknowledged the role of Birinchi Kumar Barua in strengthening Assamese language studies and higher education during that period.
“Today, commuters driving over the flyover will not just be crossing a bridge, but travelling over a piece of history,” Sarma said.