Guwahati, Jan 18 (IANS) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday launched a strong political offensive against Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, declaring that the people of Assam would no longer submit to what he termed “Pakistani agents”, while addressing reporters here following the inauguration of the Kaziranga Elevated Corridor project in Nagaon district.
The Chief Minister said Assam has undergone a decisive transformation and asserted that the state’s residents would not bow before “unknown forces”.
His remarks followed reports that Gogoi had opposed the Kaziranga Elevated Corridor project a day earlier.
“Assam has changed. No Assamese will surrender before any Pakistani agent or unknown people. This is a new Assam,” Sarma said.
He also expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for flagging off three new train services to the state over the last two days.
Highlighting a renewed sense of cultural pride, the Chief Minister said nearly 10,000 artistes performed the traditional Bagurumba dance in the Prime Minister’s presence, describing the event as a reflection of Assam’s growing self-confidence and cultural resurgence.
He further claimed that rhino poaching incidents in Kaziranga National Park have ceased, attributing the achievement to strengthened conservation and enforcement efforts.
Sarma said the Kaziranga Elevated Corridor, being built at an estimated cost of around Rs 7,000 crore, would reduce travel time by nearly an hour upon completion while ensuring safe wildlife movement across the landscape.
Expressing confidence ahead of the 2026 Assam Assembly elections, the Chief Minister said several large infrastructure projects once considered improbable — including multiple Brahmaputra bridges, an underwater tunnel, and the Kaziranga corridor — have now materialised.
He asserted that the BJP would return to power in Assam in 2026, calling it a gift to the Prime Minister.
Earlier, PM Modi laid the foundation stone for the Kaziranga Elevated Corridor project, involving the four-laning of the Kaliabor-Numaligarh stretch of NH-715 in Nagaon district at a cost of over Rs 6,950 crore.
The 86-km corridor includes a 35-km elevated wildlife stretch through Kaziranga, a 21-km bypass, and the widening of 30 km of NH-715, improving connectivity across Nagaon, Karbi Anglong and Golaghat districts.
The Prime Minister also flagged off two Amrit Bharat Express trains — Guwahati (Kamakhya)-Rohtak and Dibrugarh-Lucknow (Gomti Nagar).
–IANS
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