Guwahati/Bokajan, April 2: With campaigning intensifying ahead of the April 9 Assembly elections, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday promised greater autonomy for indigenous communities in Assam, vowing that his party would fully implement Article 244(A) if it returned to power. Speaking at an election rally in Karbi Anglong for Congress candidate Raton Engti in the Bokajan constituency, Gandhi said the move would transfer decision-making authority to local communities.
“Once Article 244(A) is implemented, no one from Guwahati will rule the people of Karbi Anglong. The power to take decisions will rest with you,” Gandhi said, describing the provision as a safeguard for indigenous rights and a means to ensure decentralised governance. He added that the intention behind Article 244(A) is to have local leaders govern and protect the rights of their people.
In a strong attack on the BJP-led state government, Gandhi accused Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of corruption and alleged that governance in Assam is being directed by the Centre rather than local authorities. He claimed land was being “snatched” from people and handed to large corporate groups, naming business houses linked to Gautam Adani, Mukesh Ambani and yoga entrepreneur Baba Ramdev.
Gandhi asserted that “three big corporate houses have been given around 98,400 bighas of land in Assam,” alleging that these allocations were taken from local communities and turning the state into a “land ATM.” He said a Congress government would act against such alleged corruption, warning: “Those who are speaking loudly now will fall silent. Action will be taken.”
Outlining Congress’s welfare promises, Gandhi pledged monthly financial assistance to women, a monthly pension of Rs 1,250 for senior citizens, permanent land pattas for 10 lakh indigenous people (replacing annual allotments), and a cashless health insurance cover of Rs 25 lakh per family. He also promised that if elected the party would secure “justice within 100 days” over the death of singer Zubeen Garg in Singapore last year, calling the artist a symbol of Assam’s plural identity.
Gandhi criticised what he described as excessive centralisation under the BJP and attacked Centre’s economic policies, including the India‑US trade arrangement, which he claimed disadvantaged India. With the Congress intensifying its outreach in key tribal regions, Gandhi’s remarks signalled the party’s effort to foreground autonomy, land rights and welfare as central issues in the Assam elections.
With inputs from PTI
Original Source: https://assamtribune.com/assam/rahul-vows-article-244a-implementation-targets-bjp-over-land-in-karbi-anglong-1610139
Category: Assam,Featured
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Publish Date: 2026-04-02 13:44:00
