Assam Minister Biswajit Daimary on Monday, July 26, said every citizen had the right to express their views in a democratic country while responding to a question about Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s remarks on the participation of Cabinet Minister Keshab Mahanta’s daughter in a student protest.
“We live in a democratic nation. People have the right to do as they wish,” Daimary said.
Speaking about the prevailing flood situation in Assam, the minister described the crisis as “terrible” and attributed the unprecedented flooding to exceptionally heavy rainfall and substantial runoff from the hills of neighbouring Nagaland.
Daimary said the sudden rise in water levels had left thousands of people with little time to move to safety.
“It is a terrible situation. It happened because of external factors. The volume of water was unprecedented, leaving people with nowhere to turn for shelter. It was a sudden event caused by heavy rainfall and the runoff from the hills of Nagaland,” he said.
On the Centre’s decision to establish a High-Powered Task Force on examination reforms, Daimary said comprehensive changes had become necessary amid repeated incidents of question paper leaks.
He also welcomed the proposed Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, saying a legal framework was essential to tackle examination-related malpractice effectively.
Daimary said legislation would help establish a proper system for dealing with such cases, ensure consequences for those found guilty and strengthen the security of examination papers.
