• Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma's govt aspires to completely extract AFSPA from Assam

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    Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma's govt aspires to completely extract AFSPA from Assam
    After his administration came to power, AFSPA was implemented in eight districts of Assam, said Sarma...

    Digital Desk: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated on Tuesday that his government plans to take down the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) before the end of this year.

    After his administration came to power, AFSPA was implemented in eight districts of Assam, said Sarma in his Independence Day speech in Guwahati.

    "Our government's goal is to completely repeal the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) by the end of this year. Previous administrations had asked the Centre to extend AFSPA 62 times before our government took office. The situation is improving now," Sarma remarked.

    The Assam CM also made humorous use of the state's past Congress regimes on the issue of AFSPA.

    According to him, Assam's previous Congress government "requested the Centre to extend AFSPA in the state at least 62 times."

    According to the chief minister, four peace agreements with rebel organisations were negotiated during his leadership, and approximately 8,000 militants were accepted into mainstream politics.

    The "law and order situation improved" when the BJP took control of the state in 2016, as stated by Assam's chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

    "AFSPA has already been removed from many districts, and an improvement in law and order will make it possible to remove the law entirely from Assam," Sarma remarked.

    CM Sarma went on to say that his government is committed to making Assam "drug-free", "corruption free," and "zero tolerance" for corruption.

    He also stated that his administration will enact strict legislation to outlaw polygamy in the state. 

    "Whether it's the Bodo-Karbi conflict in Assam, the Brus issues in Mizoram, or the NLFT insurgency in Tripura, many such discords have been extinguished under Hon PM's leadership," Sarma remarked.

    He further claimed that several 70-year-old disputes in the region were dealt with in the nine years of the BJP-led NDA administration at the Centre.