Guwahati: Along with the other parts of India, Assam has also geared up for the celebration of 74th Republic Day on Thursday amidst some separatist militants’ call to the people to boycott the auspicious day. Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who continues calling the banned armed outfits for joining in the peace talks since the first day in CMO, will unfurl the National flag at Khanapara in the city.
Sarma in various public meetings repeatedly asked the United Liberation Front of Assam-Independent chief Paresh Baruah to leave the path of violence and sit in the negotiation table with the government and significantly the insurgent group, which has been waging a war against New Delhi for a sovereign Assam out of India, even avoided the boycott call last year. But this time, Ulfa (I) along with the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (K) once again imposed a total shutdown on 26 January, the day also scheduled for Saraswati Puja.
According to the State government the ministers have been assigned to join the R-Day celebration in various localities, where the panchayat & rural development Ranjeet Kumar Dass will unfurl the Tri-colour in Kamrup district and agriculture & horticulture minister Atul Bora join the celebration in Golaghat district. State handloom & textile minister Urkhao Gwra Brahma will be present in Baksa and the environment & forest minister Chandra Mohan Patowary will join the celebration at Jorhat.
State transport minister Parimal Suklabaidya will go to Hailakandi and the health & family welfare minister Keshab Mahanta will participate in celebration at Tezpur. State education minister Ranoj Pegu is assigned to join in the celebration at Nagaon, where the housing & urban affairs minister Ashok Singhal will go to Nalbari. State revenue & disaster management minister Jogen Mohan will be present at Dibrugarh and the tea tribe welfare minister Sanjoy Kishan at Tinsukia.
State finance minister Ajanta Neog will go to Sivasagar, the cultural affairs minister Bimal Borah to North Lakhimpur, the water resources minister Pijush Hazarika to Mangaldoi, the mines, minerals & power minister Nandita Garlosa to Silchar and the public health engineering minister Jayanta Mallabaruah assigned to be present at Dhubri. Bodoland Territorial Region chief Pramod Boro will unfirl the national flag at Kokrajhar, Karbi Anglong autonomous council chief Tuliram Ronghang at Diphu and Dima Hasao council chief Debolal Garlosa at Haflong.
Only a few days back CM Sarma commented that the people of Assam today deserve peace & prosperity and they would not support any violent activities aiming a separate homeland. The hardliner Bhartiya Janata Party leader claims that the people now feel proud while introducing themselves as Indians. Sarma also appealed to the common people of Assam to raise voices for negotiations with the militant leader and convince Paresh Baruah to come forward for peace talks with the government.
However, the Patriotic People’s Front Assam denounces the diktat of separatist militants on R-Day celebrations and urges everyone to celebrate it with fanfare with an aim to pay tributes to the martyrs of freedom struggles. Only an ungrateful nation can think of boycotting an occasion scheduled for paying tributes to martyrs, asserted the forum adding that those militants must not forget that hundreds of freedom fighters from the alienated north-eastern region sacrificed immensely for making India a sovereign nation and the brave hearts must be honoured on R-Day and Independence Day.