Himanta to take oath as Assam CM for second term on Tuesday, 4 MLAs to be sworn in as ministers
Guwahati (PTI): Riding on the BJP-led NDA's emphatic electoral triumph, Himanta Biswa Sarma will on Tuesday take oath as the Assam chief minister for a second consecutive term, a development that cements the saffron party’s growing dominance in the state.
Four MLAs of the NDA will also be sworn in at a function in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union ministers and chief ministers of BJP-ruled states.
Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya will administer the oath of office and secrecy to Sarma and four other legislators at the Veterinary Field in Khanapara area at 11.40 am.
The 57-year-old is the first non-Congress leader in the state to assume charge as the CM for a second successive term.
The four legislators who will take oath along with Sarma are BJP's Ajanta Neog and Rameshwar Teli, and one each from its allies- Atul Bora of the AGP and BPF's Charan Boro.
Neog, Bora and Boro were members of Sarma's first cabinet, while Teli, a former Union minister, returned to state politics.
This will be the third NDA government in the state, with the alliance first coming to power in 2016 under the leadership of now Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal.
Neog was the finance minister, while Bora took care of the agriculture department, and Boro held the transport portfolio in the outgoing government.
Officials said over one lakh people, including the BJP's panchayat presidents and members, are expected to attend the swearing-in ceremony.
Security has been tightened across Guwahati with central and state police monitoring the situation, while arrangements at the venue are being coordinated by various departments under the directives of Chief Secretary Ravi Kota.
The NDA swept to power in the state with a record 102 of the 126-member assembly, with the BJP alone securing 82 constituencies while its alliance partners, the AGP and the BPF, bagged 10 seats each.
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Hijab decision taken out of fear of Karnataka Muslim convention, alleges Kumaraswamy
Bengaluru: Union Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy has alleged that the Karnataka government announced its decision on the hijab issue out of fear of the ‘Karnataka Muslim Convention’ scheduled to be held in Bengaluru on May 16 organized by Federation of Karnataka Muslim Organisations.
Addressing a press conference at the JD(S) state office, GP Bhavan, in Bengaluru on Thursday, Kumaraswamy said he respects all religions and has expressed his views on the issue on several public platforms in the past.
Questioning the timing of the government’s move, he said the Congress has been in power for three years and had taken no decision on the hijab issue during that period.
He alleged that the decision was taken only because the ‘Karnataka Muslim Convention’ is scheduled to be held at Town Hall in Bengaluru on May 16.
“If the government had the courage, it should have taken this decision immediately after coming to power. Why did it remain silent for three years?” he asked.
Kumaraswamy accused the Congress of making the announcement to appease a particular community.
He further said the matter is still pending before the courts and claimed that an interim order relating to the hijab issue remains in force.
According to him, issuing such an order before the legal proceedings are concluded amounts to disrespect towards the judiciary.
Kumaraswamy also alleged that the Congress brought the issue back into focus after the Davanagere by-election results.
