Centre completely supports Assam government's eviction drive: Himanta Biswa Sarma

GUWAHATI — Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday claimed that the Centre ''completely supports'' the state government's eviction drive, which was “evident” from Union Home Minister Amit Shah's speech here the previous day.

Shah made it clear that Assam and the entire country will be freed of illegal infiltrators, and the BJP government in the state had launched a drive to clear encroachments, which was “opposed by the Congress”, Sarma said at a press conference.

''The Centre completely supports the Assam government's eviction drive, and will extend all possible help to ensure its logical conclusion,'' he said.

Evictions will continue in the state as ''we are committed to free encroached land'', the CM said.

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Sarma had claimed over 160 sq km land has been cleared of encroachment since his government took over in May 2021.

He had said that all unauthorised occupation of forest land, VGR (Village Grazing Reserve), PGR (Professional Grazing Reserve), Satras, Namghars, and other public areas would be cleared in a phased manner.

Most of the people displaced due to the eviction drive are from the Bengali-speaking Muslims community, who claim that their ancestors had moved and settled in the areas where drives were carried out after their land in the ‘Char’ or riverine areas were washed away, due to erosion by the Brahmaputra river.

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Regarding the issue of infiltration, Sarma said the ''push back'' is happening on two fronts in the state, with action being taken against both fresh immigrants and those residing after entering post-1971.

''Foreigners who have come post-1971 and residing inside the state are being pushed back under the Immigrant Expulsion Act, which empowers us to do so,'' he said.

In the case of fresh immigrants, “we are pushing them back as soon as they are attempting to enter the state from neighbouring Bangladesh”, the chief minister said.

''The process of push back is on and will continue,'' he asserted.