Guwahati: One of the foremost priorities of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's first government was to free Assam's valuable land from encroachment, with special focus on reclaiming land belonging to religious and cultural institutions, particularly the Satras (Vaishnavite monasteries).
As Sarma prepared to intensify the eviction drive in his second term, targeting the clearance of five lakh bighas of encroached land, he knelt before the satradhikars — the heads of the satras — and sought their blessings before taking oath at the Veterinary College Ground in Guwahati before a mammoth gathering. The satradhikars were among the special invitees at the ceremony.
The monastic heads, many representing satras founded in the 16th and 17th centuries, including those from Majuli, described the challenge ahead as part of a larger struggle to protect a civilisation. The Satradhikars blessed the CM by placing nirmali — a garland of bakul flowers — on his head.
Satradhikar of Sri Sri Auniati Satra, Pitambar Deva Goswami, said, “We offer our respect to this government. In order to safeguard indigenous culture and solve Assam’s problems, the initiatives taken by this government have made us happy. The efforts of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in protecting Assam’s culture will be remembered forever. We all will be protected when our culture is protected. His government is doing exactly that.”
“We have not only seen erosion of land, but also cultural erosion in Majuli. The number one man who can prevent this erosion is Himanta Biswa Sarma,” Goswami added. He further said that if the new government passes a law to protect river islands like Majuli, it would prevent outsiders from carrying out cultural aggression or religious conversion in the state.
Chief Minister Sarma described the moment of receiving blessings from the satradhikars on stage as a “Blessed Moment.” “On this special day, I am honoured to receive the blessings of the revered Satradhikars of the holy Satras, along with spiritual leaders of various communities. Your blessings are a life-giving force for us in building a steadfast and progressive Assam,” Sarma said in a social media post.
