Opposition parties release 40-page chargesheet against Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the Opposition parties trained guns at the Chief Minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma and his government by releasing a 40-page chargesheet, revealing a range of issues pertaining to Sarma's administration.

Mentioning a range of allegations including corruption, failure to look into the persisting human-elephant conflict, rising prices, syndicate, scams, issue of illegal immigration, rampant toll taxes and several others, the opposition parties have accused the present government of alleged failure in governance and ineffective policy implementation to substantiate these claims.

The charges levelled by Opposition are:

1) Land scam by CM’s family
2) Rs 10 crore Central subsidy to CM’s wife
3)Acquisition of 18 acre land by companies owned by CM’s wife
4)1,000 bigha land of tribal people grabbed; land of indigenous people given to private company
5)Failure to stop elephant-human conflict
6)Elephant trouble on Indo-Bhutan border
7)Apex bank scam
8)Price rise
9)Increase in fuel prices
10)Shrirampur toll gate syndicate
11)Cattle smuggling syndicate
12)Coal mining and death of local youth in coal mining
13)Drying up of Subansiri river
14)CM’s betrayal of women caught in loan trap
15)Rampant toll taxes
16)Issue of illegal immigration
17)Control and acquisition of media houses
18)Purchase of resort by CM’s wife in Kaziranga
19)Politicisation of Athkheliya Namghar
20)Control of police
21)Extortion by police officers close to CM
22)Cybercrime syndicate in Guwahati
23)Land given to Ramdev
24)Destruction of Artfed
25)Failure to construct twin tower
26)Failure to introduce bullet trains
27)Failure of Guwahati smart city mission
28)Failure to dredge Brahmaputra
29)Failure to construct ring road
30)Failure to control artificial flood in Guwahati
31)Government school in bad shape while CM’s wife built luxurious school
32)Large number of trees set to be felled in Goalpara
33)Failure to implement Assam Accord
34)No ST status to six communities
35)Closure of paper mill and Apex mill
36)No 24X7 electricity
37)Hike in electricity bill
38)Recruitment examination scam
39)Suicide by woman because of BJP leader
40)Rise in crime against women
41)Existential crisis for indigenous people
42)Hike in land tax
43)Hike in the price of agricultural products
44)Government debt increasing to alarming level
45)Eviction of indigenous people
46)Assamese people betrayed in the name of NRC
47)No distribution of flood relief
48)No bridge yet connecting Majuli with Jorhat
49)Harassment of indigenous people at Silsako
50)BJP office in government land
51)Communal Chief Minister
52)Failure to bring both factions of ULFA to dialogue
53)Indigenous people made homeless
54)Wastage of public fund for CM’s helicopter ride
55)Privatisation of power sector
56)Favouritism towards select contractors
57)Assam’s priest ignored
58)Assam’s assets given to Prime Minister’s friends
59)Assam’s animals given to Mukesh Ambani
60)Fall in Assam’s per capita income
61)Border conflicts with neighbouring states
62)CM buying MLS
63)Failure to prevent erosion
64)Betrayal of Mishing families in Dibru-Saikhowa
65)Betrayal of tea tribes
66)Civil servants used at the service of CM’s family
67)Failure to implement Clause 6 of Assam Accord
68)Industrial Policy ignored
69)No development of tribal people
70)Wine shops replacing schools and libraries
71)Government taking loans so that CM could fly helicopters to attend weddings
72)BJP buying votes through electoral bonds
73)Probe to APSC scam halted

Most of these charges are unverified or have been disputed by the chief minister and his family. For instance, though the Opposition’s chargesheet claims that Assam’s per capita income has dropped, the state’s per capita income has seen a 15 per cent rise between 2022-23 and 2021-22, when CM Sarma took charge. However, Assam’s per capita debt burden has almost doubled in the last five financial years though the state’s debt to ratio is 23 per cent, well below the 32 per cent per debt-to-GDP ratio stipulated by the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act (FDRN).

The opposition parties have accused Himanta Biswa Sarma, and his administration of reaching the pinnacle of corruption, both in Delhi under the BJP government and in Dispur. They claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma have disregarded the democratic and human rights of the common people, while also depleting the resources essential for their livelihoods. Allegations suggest that the current government aims to manipulate common citizens into becoming mere beneficiaries in exchange for votes, thereby posing a severe threat to Indian democracy and the Constitution. To address these concerns, the opposition has compiled a booklet containing 60 instances of corruption and mismanagement purportedly committed by the government.

The chargesheet accuses the Chief Minister's family and associates of prioritizing their own interests over those of the people of Assam, engaging in widespread land grabbing and unethical business practices.

The opposition parties have also alleged that the Chief Minister's family business allegedly expanded its reach from the plains to the mountains, engaging in illegal land acquisitions in Karbi Anglong and other areas reserved for tribal communities. Meanwhile, the government has purportedly failed to address pressing issues such as the escalating human-elephant conflict, leading to loss of lives and property without adequate intervention.

In addition to allegations of corruption and mismanagement, the opposition criticizes the government for its failure to mitigate the economic burden on the common people, evident in skyrocketing fuel prices that have placed immense strain on households and businesses alike. The overall sentiment conveyed by the chargesheet is one of deep concern regarding the erosion of democratic values, exploitation of resources, and disregard for the welfare of the people under the current administration.


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