Cong vows to return land ‘illegally’ held by Assam CM if voted to power
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Guwahati: The Congress has pledged to reclaim and redistribute land allegedly “illegally” occupied by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his cabinet colleagues if it comes to power in the 2026 Assembly elections. State Congress president Gaurav Gogoi made the statement on Sunday, asserting that the land would be returned to the poor in the very first cabinet meeting of a newly elected Congress government.
Addressing a press conference in Guwahati, Gogoi accused the Sarma-led government of acquiring land under the guise of protecting land rights. He claimed the action had disproportionately benefited the Chief Minister and members of his cabinet, and that reclaiming such land was part of a broader effort to uphold justice for the underprivileged.
Elections to Assam’s 126-member Assembly are expected to be held in March or April 2026.
Gogoi also said that public confidence in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Assam had waned significantly. He reiterated Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s earlier declaration that Sarma would be jailed if the Congress returned to power in the state, stating it was his responsibility to uphold that promise.
The Congress leader further alleged that the Sarma government was actively targeting linguistic and religious minorities through widespread eviction drives. He said these operations had also affected various tribal communities, including the Bodos, Tiwas, Karbis, Rabhas, and Misings, and that many of these evictions were in violation of court directives.
Gogoi’s comments come amid a wave of "anti-encroachment" operations conducted by the Assam government in recent months. Since June 16, the state has carried out seven major eviction drives, resulting in the displacement of approximately 5,300 families, many of whom are Bengali-origin Muslims.
On July 24, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a contempt petition filed against Assam’s Chief Secretary and authorities in Goalpara district for allegedly violating earlier court guidelines regarding eviction and demolition operations.