Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma Appeals All Tribes to Come Together to Preserve 'Assamese Identity'

Guwahati, November 3, 2019:

Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday launched his third book, 'Bhinna Samay Abhinna Matt' (Varied Times, Similar Opinion) in a grand ceremony in Guwahati city today.

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The Finance Minister said that he said that he was overwhelmed when his first book, written in Assamese, sold 75,000 copies, which kickstarted his passion for writing about the burning topics of the times.

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The BJP leader said that his latest book was written while he was mourning the demise of his father. "Being a father and being a son are two unique experiences in a person's life. The duties fulfilled by our father are performed by us when we have children", he said.

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Revealing the philosophy behind his book, Biswa Sarma said that India's history saw many phases, there was the Bhakti Movement, and there were also many struggles in Assam -- but despite these varied times, unity in thought ascertained that the people stood united, unbroken. From Krishna-Rukmini's times, to Jintu Gogoi's martyrdom, to the CRPF jawans' earning glory at the border, Assam has maintained its unity and solidity as a part of the unbroken and unified India.

Issuing a warning to the citizenry at large, Biswa Sarma also said that strife and clashes over language could tear Assam society apart. "There are some people in Assam, who believe that they have to appease Bangladeshi Muslims to keep Assamese language alive. They will speak Assamese, but conquer the Batadraba Sattra. Where will this kind of thinking take us?, Biswa Sarma asked.

Biswa Sarma also touched on the Dokmoka lynchings, which resulted in ethnic clashes across Assam. "On that day, people had the notion that the Karbis were the enemies of Assam. The AASU forced the Karbi Students' Union to apologize on behalf of Karbis, but Arnamai Bora, who was raped, never got justice", the Minister said.

Denouncing division over language in Assam, he said that the the spirit of Assam lives in all who are from Assam, including all the tribes, such as Boros, Mishings, and even Bengali-speakers. Biswa Sarma also alleged that ethnic clashes over language will divide the Assamese society and hand it over to Moulabadis.

The book launch ceremony was attended by distinguished dignitaries such as Dr Amarjyoti Choudhury, Dr Dhrubajyoti Bora, Dr Anuraddha Sarma Pujari, Dr Malini Goswami.

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