Guwahati, May 26: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on May 26 criticised Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi for opposing major infrastructure initiatives in the state, alleging that such views represented an “old mindset” that no longer resonated with the people of Assam.
Addressing the Assam Legislative Assembly during the ongoing session, Sarma said development projects, including flyovers, tunnels and road infrastructure works, had consistently received public support and reflected the state’s evolving aspirations.
The chief minister stated that people across Assam had welcomed infrastructure expansion and said such projects had improved connectivity and addressed long-standing transport challenges.
“Whenever a flyover is constructed, the people of the state welcome and support it,” Sarma said during his speech in the Assembly.
Referring to criticism over the Jorhat flyover project, Sarma alleged that opposition to the initiative had adversely affected Gogoi politically within his own constituency.
“Merely because a leader criticised the flyover at Jorhat, today a powerful leader of Assam had to face a very embarrassing defeat in Jorhat,” he said, in an apparent reference to Gogoi.
The chief minister also mentioned opposition surrounding the proposed tunnel project connecting Golaghat and Gohpur, arguing that resistance to such infrastructure developments reflected reluctance to adapt to the state’s changing priorities.
“If a political leader criticises the tunnel between Golaghat and Gohpur, and even criticises the flyover being constructed with the support of his own government, which will save lakhs of people in the state from transport difficulties, then the people of Assam immediately understand that this leader wants to remain stuck in his old thinking,” Sarma said.
He further asserted that Assam was moving beyond what he described as a phase of underdevelopment and backwardness, claiming that the state was now progressing with a stronger focus on growth and modern infrastructure.
“The atmosphere that was trying to keep Assam hidden in the darkness of ignorance is gradually disappearing,” the chief minister added.
