Guwahati, Assam: The Congress party has launched a scathing attack on Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, alleging that he is using the implementation of the Assam Accord to deflect attention from accusations of corruption involving his family. In a press conference on Wednesday, Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia and Assam Congress President Bhupen Kumar Borah criticized Sarma for allegedly attempting to shift public focus ahead of the 2026 assembly elections.
Bhupen Kumar Borah contended that while the Assam government has recently accelerated efforts to implement 57 of the 67 recommendations from the Justice Biplab Kumar Sarma Committee on the Assam Accord, the actual authority to execute these recommendations lies with the central government. Borah accused Sarma of using the Assam Accord as a smokescreen, stating, “CM Himanta Biswa Sarma is trying to confuse the people of Assam to secure his position in the 2026 assembly polls. The real issue of corruption involving his family is being overshadowed by this diversion.”
Borah also questioned why the state government had not provided a clear plan for implementing the Assam Accord’s recommendations, especially Clause 6, which focuses on protecting the rights of the Assamese people. He criticized the government for not addressing the critical elements of the Accord and failing to disclose details about its ten key clauses, which he described as the Accord’s “soul.”
Debabrata Saikia supported Borah’s allegations, noting that despite requests for the Assam BJP to present the committee’s report to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, no action has been taken. Saikia highlighted that the report was initially submitted to then-Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal in 2020, yet the central government has not acted on it.
The Assam Accord, signed in 1985 to address the anti-foreigner agitation in the state, includes provisions for identifying and deporting foreigners who entered Assam after March 25, 1971. Significant parts of the Accord, including Clause 6, remain unimplemented, leading to frustration among various political factions.
The Congress leaders voiced skepticism about the state government’s commitment to the Accord’s recommendations, accusing Chief Minister Sarma of politicizing the issue to divert attention from more pressing governance and corruption concerns.
