3rd edition of Republic Summit-Assam is on a roll; the state will surpass Punjab soon in terms of GDP: Chief Minister, Assam

Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma said competitive federalism among states for nation transformation is good but regional disparity has to go.The Chief Minister said this while addressing the 3rd edition of the Republic Summit on the theme ‘Time of Transfornation’ at Taj Palace here on Wednesday.
Sarma unequivocally said that competitive federalism amongst states is welcome so long it contributed to nation building but at the same time regional disparity must be removed.The Chief Minister said Assam is on a roll with protests and agitation taking a backseat and development taking place on various fronts.Assam has not even witnessed any protest in the last two years neither of the left wing, the right wing or the students,he asserted.
He said Assam has surpassed Chhattisgarh and Chandigarh in terms of GDP and will take over Punjab in the next three years.We are aspiring to become a leading state among 10 top states and then aim for a position among five foremost states of the country, he said.
Unlike mohalla clinics in Delhi, Sarma said Assam is going all out for a total of 24 hospitals of which 12 have been already inaugurated with AIIMS coming up recently.
In reply to a question posed by Editor-in-Chief of Republic TV, Arnab Goswami, Chief Minister Sarma said he advocated for a Uniform CIvil Code for the country. “Like the Hindus, a Muslim must have one wife instead of three wives. I want Muslim woman not to feel exploited in any manner but feel empowered,” he said, adding, “We believe that Uniform Civil Code is one of the agendas which we need to accomplish for the women of India. You cannot allow a husband to have three wives.”
Dwelling at length on the Uniform Civil Code, Sarma said, “UCC is simple, not a complicated one. If a Hindu husband has one wife, then a Muslim or other religious people should have the same facility. I am putting it in a positive way because if a Hindu woman can enjoy that privilege why cannot a Muslim woman enjoy that in independent India.
Are our Muslim women a second-class citizen of this country. It is necessary for them in spite of the presence of Article 14 (Right to Equality). So UCC is our responsibility and this is what we owe to the Muslim women of this country.”
The Chief Minister pointed out that people belonging to minority communities have benefited from the pro-people policies of the BJP dispensations.
Sarma said he felt happy to see many new faces from the Muslim community holding administrative posts, becoming doctors or engineers.The Chief Minister in his own inimitable style replied in Hindi interspersed with English that there has been a paradigm shift in development with peace reigning supreme in the Northeast part of the country under the progressive leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In the same breathe, Sarma asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the ‘undefeated’ leader of the country and that he would continue to be in the helm of affairs for the next 15 to 20 years. Sarma said that Assam has changed drastically since 2014. “Assam has changed drastically after 2014. Peace has returned and the Northeast has been brought into the mainstream. I have also removed security from our MLAs. Security perception pertaining to the Northeast has changed,” he said.
Spelling out the changes that have swept the Northeast India in recent years, the Chief Minister said that the region has been through decades of armed conflict due to separatist elements but there has been drastic changes and now it is much more connected to the rest of the country.
“The northeast is a beautiful region. It had a bad time because of the conflicts. Like you (media) air an incident of bombing or gun fire in northern India throughout the entire day. And I have been raised amid bombings. Those (things) are very normal. That was an essential part of our life,” Sarma said.
“Just the other day, two terrorists were taken down. Today you visit Nagaland, perhaps the other side (enemies) has more sophisticated weapons than the police. The same was in Manipur and Assam. After 2014, those incidents have come down drastically. Peace has returned. Northeast has been brought to the mainstream,” he added.
Sarma also claimed that the Narendra Modi Government’s effort to reach out to the Northeast has been very successful. “We don’t even need security in Assam anymore,” the Chief Minister said.
Regarding his meeting with Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee in Darjeeling just prior to the Vice Presidential election, Sarma while downplaying the politics, said he met Mamata after becoming the Chief Minister to build a rapport with her as Assam shares border with West Bengal and mutual interests of both states are involved. The Chief Minister acknowledged the fact that Mamata didi is unmistakably a good host. “Mamata didi is undeniably a good host as she herself prepares tea for her guests,” he said with applause from the jam-packed audience.
Editor-in-Chief, Arnab Goswami while congratulating Chief Minister for his slew of development initiatives in Assam, said Chief Minister Sarma is a man on a mission to take Assam along the high road to glory and prosperity.The two-day summit ends today.