DH Interview | There is strong pro-incumbency in favour of NDA in Assam: Sarbananda Sonowal

Sonowal told DH's Sumir Karmakar that the party's priorities are clear and the rights of indigenous people of Assam will never be compromised.

Sarbananda Sonowal was BJP's indigenous face against Congress in Assam before Himanta Biswa Sarma switched sides in August 2015. BJP formed its first government in Assam in 2016 and Sonowal became the chief minister.

He was, however, replaced by Sarma after NDA's second consecutive victory in 2021. Sonowal, a Lok Sabha member from Dibrugarh in Assam, is now serving as the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.

As Assam gets ready for April 9 assembly elections with BJP targeting a hat-trick by forming the government for the third straight term, Sonowal, 63, told DH's Sumir Karmakar that there is no anti-incumbency and claimed that there is strong "pro-incumbency" in favour of the BJP-led government in Assam.

Q) What makes BJP so confident about forming the government despite the possibility of anti-incumbency?

A) People across India have demonstrated deep faith in the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with over a decade of good governance reinforcing confidence in a system that delivers welfare directly to citizens.

Assam too remains an equal partner in this transformative journey. On the ground, there is strong pro-incumbency in favour of the BJP-led NDA government, driven by consistent delivery of welfare schemes and people-centric governance since 2016. From the fringes of national imagination, Assam, as the heart of the Northeast, has moved to become the ‘Ashta Lakshmi’ of our country. Its reimagined role as the growth engine of new India is surely giving a flip to region’s relegated past of violence and obscurity towards a new dawn of peace, progress and prosperity.

The government’s focus on direct benefit delivery has ensured that citizens experience real impact at their doorstep, strengthening trust in governance. With sustained development and continued public support, the NDA is confident of securing a decisive mandate, with projections of victory in nearly 100 seats.

Q) Under your leadership in 2016, BJP came to power with the promise of protecting jati, mati and bheti (community, land and hearth). How far the party has succeeded in that direction in the past 10 years in power?

A) The protection of jati, mati and bheti is not just a political slogan for us — it is a civilizational commitment. In the last decade, for the first time in Assam’s history, lakhs of indigenous families have received land pattas, securing their rightful ownership. We have taken firm action to reclaim encroached land, protect Satra lands, and preserve our cultural and linguistic identity.

PM Narendra Modi ji has championed the cause of Virasat while working towards Vikas of our nation. Many of our cultural troves like celebrating our rich vibrant folk dances like Bihu, Bagurumba and Jhumur, or our historical masterpiece like the Ahom era Maidams at Charaideo, there has been a concerted effort to preserve, celebrate and promote our cultural lineage.

Congress has always toyed with the idea of identity of indigenous. For more than six decades under Congress government, the people were robbed of their rightful demand for identity protection. Identity was compromised for vote-bank politics. Draconian laws like IMDT was promulgated with a singular view to puncture indigenous rights over facilitating illegal immigrants. For six years, I fought against this law and in 2006, the Supreme Court had pronounced this law as illegal.

Today, identity is being protected through policy, governance and intent. The Assamese people can clearly see the difference — from insecurity to assurance, from neglect to protection. The days of the ignominy of indigenous identity, which suffered tremendously due to sheer neglect, are a thing of past.

Q) BJP also promised to solve the citizenship crisis of the post-1971 Hindu migrants despite opposition by the indigenous communities. The problem has still remained the same even after 10 years.

A) This issue must be seen with honesty and historical context. The Congress created the problem through decades of appeasement and inaction. We are addressing it with both sensitivity and responsibility.

Our government has taken decisive steps to identify and act against illegal infiltration while also ensuring that humanitarian concerns are handled within the framework of the Constitution. The priority remains clear — the rights of indigenous people of Assam will never be compromised.

Unlike Congress, which used the issue for political convenience, we are working towards a structured, lawful and balanced solution.

Q) Congress is contesting with a bigger alliance this time, how tough is the challenge for BJP?

A) Alliances built on opportunism cannot match a coalition built on trust and performance. The BJP-led NDA’s strength comes from the people of Assam, not backroom arithmetic.

The people have seen ten years of peace, development and delivery. From infrastructure to welfare, from law and order to cultural pride — this government has performed.

On the ground, there is strong pro-incumbency. The so-called “grand alliance” is a combination of contradictions, while our alliance is a reflection of stability and vision. The people of Assam will choose clarity over confusion.

Q) After the 2021 elections, BJP replaced you with Himanta Biswa Sarma saying that Sarma will serve as the CM for the next five years. Is Sarma the CM face in this elections?

A) The BJP does not operate on personality-driven politics; we operate on performance, leadership and collective responsibility. I am a disciplined party worker who believes in the “Nation First, Party Second, Self Last” as the mantra for working life and will faithfully follow party decisions.

Under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji, Himanta Biswa Sarma has provided strong governance and it has accelerated development across sectors.

Our focus is not on projecting individuals, but on delivering results for the people of Assam. The BJP’s face is its governance model — decisive, transparent and people-centric.