• Assam Chief Minister gets top Singapore fellowship, Congress seeks withdrawal

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    Assam Chief Minister gets top Singapore fellowship, Congress seeks withdrawal
    Bhupen Kumar Borah, the head of the Assam Congress, expressed surprise at the Singaporean government's decision to award Sarma the fellowship... 

    Digital Desk: The Lee Kuan Yew Exchange Fellowship of Singapore has been bestowed to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, according to an official release on Sunday.

    As a result of his "dedicated leadership" in public development and works, Sarma has been given the opportunity to visit Singapore as a Lee Kuan Yew Fellow, according to the announcement.

    In honour of their remarkable contributions to the advancement of their country and the bilateral relationship with Singapore, recipients of the fellowship are honoured.

    In honour of Singapore's first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, and his services to the country, the Fellowship was established. The Singapore Prime Minister serves as the Fellowship's patron.

    According to a release from the Chief Minister's Office, "Sarma has been chosen for the award in recognition of his enormous role in championing the cause of development and international harmony."

    According to the statement, he is now Assam's first chief minister to get this fellowship.

    Sarma has joined a select group of individuals with this accomplishment, including former Union Minister Arun Shourie, Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and former Vice Chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia.

    Bhupen Kumar Borah, the head of the Assam Congress, expressed surprise at the Singaporean government's choice to award Sarma the fellowship and said he will write to request its withdrawal.

    "I am shocked by the Singapore government's choice to give Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma the Lee Kuan Yew Exchange Fellowship. The Father of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew, was a model statesman who lived a life of integrity, diligence, and decorum.Himanta Biswa Sarma, on the other hand, represents what Lee Kuan Yew opposed. He is charged with multiple financial frauds. He frequently speaks out against minorities in a strongly communal way," according to a statement from Borah.

    The Congressman further claimed that while staging one grand event after another, the Sarma-led administration "failed to provide" basic services to its citizens.

    "And during this time, the state's debt has increased steadily. In order to cancel this Fellowship, I would write to the Singaporean government through its embassy in India," he added.