Himanta Biswa Sharma made enemies during CAA protests, but now he is Assam’s Covid crisis hero

The BJP leader and Assam health minister has been drawing praise from all corners for his effective handling of the Covid-19 situation in his state.

File image of Himanta Biswa Sarma | @himantabiswa | Twitter

Not long ago, Assam’s health and education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was an ‘enemy’ for many people in the state. Some of his actions during the anti-CAA protests had put him in the bad books of many.

But in a remarkable turnaround of sorts, Sarma has emerged as a ‘hero’ in Assam’s battle against the coronavirus pandemic, which has battered relatively developed states as well as countries around the world.

The number of Covid-19 cases in Assam is now close to 4,000, but the state’s testing rate — 2,01,503 per 10 lakh — is better than most others in India. When compared to the national average of 10 lakh Covid-19 tests conducted in India between 22 January and 30 April, Assam statistics are impressive.

As Himanta Biswa Sarma draws praise from all corners for his effective handling of the Covid-19 situation in Assam, one can’t help but recall how he was shown black flags when he tried to attend the state’s Republic Day celebration earlier this year. Through his vocal support of the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act, Sarma made many enemies in the state.

You are unstoppable. Your work will be written as golden words in Assam history. Kindly save our Assam. If require seal our state borders for some periods if the homecomers are over.
Assam will set an example

— Neelam Dhar (@neelamdhar73) June 9, 2020

#Guwahati: Spectators raise "Go Back" slogan against #Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal and state finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma during the India vs Sri Lanka T20 match at Barsapara stadium on Sunday in protest against #CAA pic.twitter.com/oAhXb1ZAIQ

— Indrajit Kundu | ইন্দ্রজিৎ – কলকাতা (@iindrojit) January 5, 2020

Assam’s ‘saviour’

Assam’ first Covid-19 case was reported on 31 March, but even before that, Sarma had managed to ensure that the state had four testing centres as opposed to Delhi and Maharashtra, which only had two testing centres each. Sarma also recently announced 15 more diagnostic centres for Covid-19 testing in Assam.

Stamping all incoming passengers (national and international) and enforcing mandatory quarantine for 14 days is a strategy that will most likely be assessed as one that curtailed the number of Covid-19 cases in Assam.

Himanta’s workaholic nature has been the stuff of legends, even as I was slowly beginning to grasp Assam’s complex regional politics as a teenager. Over time, he has managed to turn himself into ‘a man of the public’ and build a larger than life persona. This image was aided by the popular Northeast channel News Live, of which Sarma’s wife, Rinki Bhuyan Sarma, is a major stakeholder.

Sarma, who constantly shares updates about the situation in Assam through smileys, knows how to make use of social media to his advantage.

? Discharge Alert

Delighted to share that 2⃣0⃣0⃣ more patients have been discharged from various civil, dist & model hospitals in Assam after being tested negative.

?Total Discharged Patients – 1784
?Active Patients – 1923

4:05 PM/June 13/ Day's total 200#AssamCovidCount pic.twitter.com/RdOJBQenvC

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) June 13, 2020

Inviting people’s wrath

But it wasn’t always like this. On 1 January this year, anti-CAA protesters in Sivasagar’s Amguri burnt the effigies of Sarma and Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. Ten days later, Sarma tweeted an image of a crowd gathered at an anti-CAA rally, comparing it with one at a pro-CAA rally in Dhemaji, Assam.

here are 2 Dhemaji pictures that sum up the mood in Assam. Need I say more?#AssamAlwaysAhead @narendramodi @AmitShah pic.twitter.com/xTJRW7RerG

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) January 10, 2020

“Need I say more?” he wrote, with the intention to portray a much larger gathering at the pro-CAA rally.

But it was subsequently discovered that he had shared a cropped image to prove his claim, as more images from the anti-CAA rally emerged online.

Challenging BJP’s peace rally in Dhemaji yesterday, Jatiya Sangathans organised another rally in Dhemaji today. A sea of people spontaneously participated in the rally #CAAProtests pic.twitter.com/ekc68s4AsT

— atanu bhuyan (@atanubhuyan) January 9, 2020

This was just one of the many controversial moves by Sarma during the widespread anti-CAA agitation in Assam. He had described the idea of forming a political alternative to the BJP during the anti-CAA protests as ‘Mungerilal ke haseen sapne’.

The face of Assam BJP

Sarma has had an interesting journey from being Cotton College’s general secretary for three terms, during which he was mentored by Assam’s then-Chief Minister Hiteswar Saikia, to becoming a member of the Assam agitation.

Sarma eventually became the face of Assam BJP after his resignation from the Congress in 2015, a mantle that has now been cemented during the Covid-19 crisis.

When the BJP sold its agenda of Saraighat during the 2016 election campaign, one would have imagined Sarbananda Sonowal as Bir Lachit — the commander of the Battle of Saraighat against the Mughals in 1671. But with Covid-19, it seems, Himanta has perfected that role and made it his own.

This image is central to the idea of Assam’s consciousness of ‘jati’ (community) and ‘mati’ (land). Considered antagonist by the people during the anti-CAA protests, Sarma has now reinvented himself as a true ‘son of the soil’ and also helped the BJP’s image in the process.

While the Congress alleges the condition of the quarantine centres in the state are filthy, Sarma still manages to garner praise for the work he has done.

Proving himself to be a man of his claims, Sarma is inching towards staking a strong claim for the post of Assam’s chief minister in the next few years.

There was once a time when BJP’s return to power seemed unlikely. But now, considering even opposition leaders such as AIUDF’s Badruddin Ajmal and journalists such as Manjit Mahanta are taking note of Sarma’s Covid success, things might be looking up for the BJP. And it will only have Himanta Biswa Sarma to thank for it.

Views are personal.