Assam

Sarma was attending the celebrations of the 400th birth anniversary of Ahom commander Lachit Barphukan at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. Speaking on the occasion, he said that the saga of courage, patriotism and sacrifice displayed by Lachit Barphukan - the great Ahom army general - is undoubtedly one of the most glorious chapters of Indian history.

The BPF supremo in his letter, which was also addressed to BJP president J.P. Nadda, alleged that the religious conversion has been undergoing under the leadership of Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) Chief Executive Member (CEM) Pramod Boro. Churches are being built everywhere in the BTC area, said Mohilary, who recently met senior BJP leaders in Delhi and reportedly promised to the saffron party's central leadership that his party would not put up candidates in Lok Sabha seats and sought BPF's entry into NDA besides cabinet berth for the party in the Assam council of ministry and CEM post in the BTC.

Of the total 22 seats, BJP and its allies have won 12. The state's ruling party needs the support of one candidate to retain power in the autonomous council. Congress has bagged two seats, while eight seats went to the Jimochhaya Peoples Party and independent candidates.

Barely a year and a half ago, Congress and AIUDF forged a grand alliance and fought the last year's assembly election together. But, after the loss in the election, Congress broke away with the AIUDF. Since then, the relationship between the two parties has become bitter which has reached its lowest point in the past week. Congress leaders have been doing the 'Assam Jodo' since November 1 and AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal has heavily criticized the party's ambitious campaign.

On October 1, the Assam government had withdrawn the 'disturbed area' tag from West Karbi Anglong district under the contentious AFSPA, while AFSPA was extended for another six months in Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Charaideo, Sivasagar, Jorhat, Golaghat, Karbi Anglong, and Dima Hasao districts along with Lakhipur sub-division of Cachar district.

The term "Miya" is used mostly by the indigenous communities to refer to Bengali or Bengal-origin Muslims who have settled on both sides of the Brahmaputra river in Assam since the late 1890s after the British brought them for commercial farming and other work.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said while speaking at the 70th Plenary Meeting of the North Eastern Council in Guwahati, "Insurgency was a major issue in the Northeast that was hindering the progress of the region on multiple fronts." He also spoke on the measures being taken to reach an amicable settlement to the inter-state border disputes in the northeast, adding that 50 per cent of Assam's boundary dispute with Meghalaya has already been resolved.

Among the arrested was PFI's North East Regional Secretary Aminul Haque, who was arrested by NIA from the Hatigaon area in Guwahati early on Thursday, an Assam Police source said.Haque is known to have been detained several times in the past for questioning.

Tension prevailed during Ganesh immersion procession at MJ Market in Hyderabad on Friday when a TRS leader confronted Sarma on the dais and tried to dislodge the mike. "A man with a personal security guard came close to me on stage and asked why I was criticising the Telangana Chief Minister. I told the person that I have not started my speech yet.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma once again mocked Rahul Gandhi on Friday which irked the Congress party. Taking to the micro-blogging site Twitter, Sarma shared a parody video of Rahul Gandhi. The character portrayed as former Congress president can be seen dancing over the song, 'Rahul Mera Naam, Record Mera Badnam'.