Guwahati: North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) convenor Himanta Biswa Sarma was on Monday sworn-in as the 15th Chief Minister of Assam by Governor Jagadish Mukhi at the Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra here.
Sarma, clad in traditional ‘pat silk’ dhoti and kurta with a muga ‘gamosa’ draped around his neck, took the oath of office and secrecy in Assamese.
Along with him, 13 other legislators were also sworn- in as ministers amid strict COVID-19 protocols.
Among the MLAs sworn-in, 10 from the BJP, including state party president Ranjeet Kumar Dass and ministers of the outgoing government Chandra Mohan Patowary, Parimal Suklabaidya, Jogesh Mohan and Sanjay Kishan.
The new faces as ministers were Ranoj Pegu, Bimal Borah and the only woman in the cabinet, Ajanta Neog.
Alliance partner AGP’s Atul Bora and Keshab Mahanta, both ministers in the erstwhile government, and former Rajya Sabha MP U G Brahma of the UPPL, also took oath.
BJP president J P Nadda, outgoing Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Union ministers Jitendra Singh and Ramesh Teli, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphu Rio and Assam Congress chief Ripun Bora were among those present at the swearing-in ceremony.
Of the 126 assembly seats in Assam, the ruling alliance secured 75 seats with the BJP winning 60, the AGP (9) and the UPPL (6).
The BJP alliance is the first non-Congress government in the state to win the elections for the second consecutive term.
‘Aim to make Assam among top five states’
Sarma on Monday said the aim of his government is to make the state one of the top five in India in the next five years.
“We will start working from tomorrow to achieve this objective,” Sarma told reporters here after taking oath.
The NEDA convenor said the prime focus of the second BJP government in Assam will be to control the COVID-19 pandemic, fulfil all poll promises and make the state free from the annual flood havoc.
“The COVID-19 situation in Assam is alarming. Our daily cases have crossed the 5,000-mark. In our cabinet meeting tomorrow, we will discuss it from all perspectives, and take measures,” Sarma said.
Unless the pandemic is controlled in Assam, cases will not go down in other northeastern states, he said.
Sarma also appealed to the insurgent groups, especially the ULFA(I), to lay down arms and be a part of the mainstream to establish peace in the state.
“I request Paresh Barua to come to the discussion table and resolve issues. Kidnappings and killings complicate problems, not solve them. I hope we will be able to make the underground insurgents return to the mainstream in the next five years,” the CM said.
Asked about the contentious National Register of Citizens (NRC), the chief minister said his government wants reverification of 20 per cent names in the border districts of Assam, and 10 per cent in other areas.
“If very negligible error is found, then we can proceed with the existing NRC. But, if there are huge anomalies, I hope the court will take note and do the needful with a new perspective,” he said without elaborating.
On BJP’s assurance of bringing in a law against ‘love jihad’, Sarma said: “Every promise was meant for implementation. We will do everything possible to fulfil them.”
Also read: How Himanta Biswa Sarma shook off Congress ‘snub’ and rose to become Assam CM