Sonowal cites warm Assam-Bengal ties, sees 'evil design' in Mamata remarks

Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal

Sumir Karmakar, TT, Aug 05, 2018, Guwahati: In his first reaction to Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee's charge that NRC was aimed at driving out Bengalis and could result in a "a civil war", Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Saturday said the "inflammatory remarks" were made "with an evil design to polarize society."

Hailing the "restraint and patience" shown by the people of Assam after Mamata's "inflammatory remarks" and her decision to send a delegation to Barak Valley after publication of the complete draft NRC, Sonowal said the people of Barak Valley displayed "exemplary composure without falling prey to the divisive design of the external forces."

Stating that Assam and Bengal have shared harmonious relations for ages, a statement from the chief minister's office here said the people of Assam are guided by the humanitarian and unifying philosophies of Bhupen Hazarika and Hemanga Biswas. "Scholar like Ashutosh Mukherjee helped introduce Assamese language in the University of Calcutta. Bhupen Hazarika, during his primetime of his career<>, spent his days at his Tollygunge residence in Calcutta and produced some of his immortal creations both in Assamese and Bengali. Even Sahityarathi Lakshminath Bezbaroa, strengthening the intrinsic relations, married Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore's granddaughter Pragya Sundari. Therefore, being a chief minister of such a state which has its deep-rooted culture and traditions, Banerjee should not have made such baseless comments which have got communal undertones aimed at disturbing the strong relations between Assam and Bengal," it said.

The statement comes a day after two FIRs were lodged against Sonowal in Calcutta by a TMC delegation that was sent back from Silchar in Barak Valley after they were taken into "preventive detention" and prohibited from exiting Silchar airport on Thursday citing possible disruption of law and order. Mamata decided to send the delegation after the final draft NRC released here on Monday showed names of 40.07 lakh applicants missing. Her charge left many here angered who alleged that the Bengal chief minister tried to disturb the peace and harmony between Assamese and Bengalis in the state.

The statement said since the beginning of updating the NRC, some vested interests were "hell-bent" on destabilising the process by making remarks inimical to the age-old unity prevailing among the people of Barak and Brahmaputra valleys, hills and plains.

"Assam is a land known for its unity since ages. People belonging to different castes, communities, creed and religion symbolise unity, which is unique. Though several attempts were made to disturb this unity, people of Assam showed resilience and reinforced the state's unity", Sonowal said.

He further said the NRC was prepared under direct supervision of the Supreme Court of India with active role of the Registrar-General of India and is a document to safeguard the interests of the people of Assam. "It is a matter of pride and prestige for the people of the state to be a part of the updating of the NRC and witness the complete draft publication in an atmosphere of complete peace and rejoice. All genuine Indian citizens whose names did not feature in the draft, need not to be worried, as they would get ample opportunities to get their names enrolled through disposal of claims and objections," said the statement.