New Delhi: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah today inaugurated the Jyoti–Vishnu International Art Centre in Guwahati, Assam. He also inaugurated the newly constructed Police Commissioner’s Office building, the Command and Control Centre, and a state-level exhibition on the three new criminal laws. On the occasion, Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, and several other distinguished dignitaries were present.
In his address, the Union Home Minister said that on a single day, several programmes were organised in Assam covering all dimensions of development, identity, culture and security. He said the newly constructed Police Commissioner’s Office, built at a cost of Rs. 111 crore, was inaugurated today and is not only state-of-the-art but also well-equipped with modern facilities. He said the Integrated Command and Control Centre, constructed at a cost of Rs. 178 crore and aimed at translating the concept of smart policing into reality, was also inaugurated. He added that the three new criminal laws, which will ensure delivery of justice in Assam from the sessions court to the Supreme Court within three years, were introduced through an exhibition.
The Home Minister said that earlier this morning, a grand memorial of Srimanta Sankardeva was inaugurated in Nagaon. He said clearing encroachments by infiltrators from 162 acres of land and constructing a memorial to Srimanta Sankardeva is a significant symbol of the revival of Assam’s culture. He said the Jyoti–Vishnu Auditorium has also been inaugurated here. He added that the auditorium, built at a cost of approximately Rs. 291 crore in memory of two great litterateurs and artists—Jyoti Prasad Agarwala and Bishnu Prasad Rabha—and with a seating capacity of 5,000 people, reflects Assam’s development.
The Union Home Minister said that no matter how much is said about Jyoti Prasad Agarwala and art guru Bishnu Prasad Rabha, it will never be enough. He said Agarwala made Assam’s first film, Joymoti, thereby laying the foundation of Assamese cinema. He added that Agarwala also worked to ignite the yearning for freedom among the people of Assam by linking music, theatre and literature with patriotism. This awakened self-respect and patriotism in the hearts of the people, which was later carried forward by Gopinath Bordoloi through a strong movement that compelled the first Prime Minister to ensure that Assam became a part of India.
He said art guru Bishnu Prasad Rabha strengthened the freedom revolution through art and connected ordinary people—workers, farmers and tribal communities—to the freedom movement through his natural, simple and literary expressions. He added that Rabha spread awareness against foreign misrule and the poverty, inequality and social injustice that arose from it.
The Union Home Minister said Assam has emerged from a long, nightmare-like period. He said that a decade ago, the state witnessed bomb blasts, blockades, firing, violent groups and agitations. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the past 11 years, Assam has moved onto the path of development and is now progressing in step with the rest of the country. He said infiltrators had encroached upon land across Assam, but over the past 10 years—especially during the last five years of Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma’s tenure—1.29 lakh bighas of land have been cleared of encroachments.
He said those who speak about Assam’s art, literature and culture were the ones who brought a law in 1983 to settle infiltrators in the state. He said after the arrival of infiltrators, Assam’s art, culture, music and language cannot survive. He added that for vote-bank politics, the opposition even questioned Assam’s very existence. He said his party’s government has been in power in Assam for the past 10 years, and in the next five years every infiltrator will be driven out. This alone, he said, will protect Assam’s culture, language and music.
The Union Home Minister said the Modi government has established peace in Assam by entering into agreements with all violent groups in the state. As a result, more than 10,000 youth have laid down their arms and returned to the mainstream, and Assam is now moving forward on the path of development. He said industries worth lakhs of crores of rupees are being set up, infrastructure is being strengthened, Kaziranga has emerged as one of the country’s most important tourist destinations, and the towering statue of Lachit Borphukan has helped embed his legacy in the hearts of the youth. He added that after a long time, a proper memorial has also been built for the martyrs of the Assam Movement, delivering a form of justice to them.