Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal created history when he brought the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to power in Assam after 15 years of Congress rule, by winning the state Assembly elections with a huge margin in 2016. In an exclusive interview to Snigdha Choudhury of thestatesman.com on completing his one year in office, Sonowal spoke on several issues, including the critical illegal immigrant issue and his government's plans for the state. Excerpts:  

You were conferred with the ‘jatiyanayak’ (national hero) title for the most vociferous voice against immigrants in the state. Now, would you implement the Centre’s decision to grant citizenship to Hindu Bangladeshi immigrants in Assam?

We are committed to protecting the ‘Satra’ (socio-religious groups), culture and ecology of the state from infiltrators. For solving the vexed foreigners’ issue, we have all along been endorsing a National Register of Citizens (NRC) to ensure that illegal immigrants don’t enter it. The tripartite meeting involving the Centre, state and All Assam Students Union (AASU) after a gap of 12 years in Delhi in 2016 vowed to implement all the clauses of the Assam Accord in a time-bound manner. We are according top priority to providing constitutional, legislative, social, cultural and economic safeguard as per the Clause 6 of the Assam Accord to the indigenous people of the state.                             

What steps have you taken to drive out illegal immigrants from the state?

Assam should move towards zero-tolerance towards illegal immigrants. So, I have been reviewing meetings with the deputy commissioners and superintendents of police to discuss the NRC updation and sort out issues impeding the exercise. I have asked the officers to treat NRC updation as a ‘national commitment’ and to put in more efforts for its timely completion.

We are committed to sealing the Indo-Bangladesh border falling in Assam. We are erecting fences and the process is expected to be completed soon. We are also using smart fence, sensors and other technological means for better surveillance on the border. I, myself, have been strictly monitoring the border management.

The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) is opposed to the proposed Citizenship Amendment Bill. And if you implement, it may break political ties with it?

Our government is in alliance with the AGP and other local parties representing the aims and aspirations of people belonging to different ethnic communities. We have our common programme to run the government. The government is committed to protecting the culture, language and inherent traditions of Assam. We would also enact a law to sternly deal with industries and businesses employing infiltrators.

Having served as the Union Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs, what factors are behind the poor representation of Assamese players at the national level tourneys? How do you plan to improve sports in the state?

Sports have never been a priority discipline. School curriculum does not accord much importance to sports as it does to other subjects. Efforts are afoot to implement ‘Assam Sports Policy’ and ensuring adequate sports infrastructure in all schools and colleges of the state. Also, playgrounds will be built in every panchayat under the Chief Minister’s Samagra Gramya Unnayan Yojana. Our government is working to make Guwahati the sports capital of the country.

We also plan to encourage traditional sports and offer scholarships and employment opportunities to promising sportspersons. A ‘Sportsmen Pension Scheme’ has been launched to ensure a safe future for all sportspersons and their support staff such as coach and trainers.

How is your government planning to take Assam forward?

The government is focussing on potential areas. Assam is rich in natural resources. We are organising an investment summit in Assam in November to apprise prospective investors of ease of doing business in Assam. We are working in close coordination with countries like Bhutan, Myanmar and Thailand to promote tourism in the state. We have adopted a tourism policy with extensive involvement of private sector and active participation of the local people. Festivals like ‘Namami Brahmaputra’ will boost tourism.