Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to arrive in Assam’s Jorhat on Friday night for a three-day visit to the Northeast, officials confirmed.
After reaching Jorhat, Shah will proceed to Dergaon in Golaghat district, where he will stay overnight at the Lachit Barphukan Police Academy. On Saturday morning, he is set to inaugurate the upgraded police academy, which has undergone its first phase of renovation at a cost of Rs 167.4 crore. He will also lay the foundation stone for the second phase, estimated at Rs 425.48 crore.
Following the inauguration, Shah will depart for Mizoram, where he will attend an event marking the relocation of the Assam Rifles establishment from Aizawl to Zokhawsang, approximately 15 km from the state capital. He will then return to Guwahati in the evening and stay overnight at the state guest house in Koinadhora.
On Sunday morning, the home minister will travel to Dotma in Assam’s Kokrajhar district to address the 57th Annual Conference of the All Bodo Students Union (ABSU). The ABSU was a key signatory to the Bodo Peace Accord signed five years ago. Shah is expected to speak at the open session, where Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) Chief Pramod Boro, senior ministers, and MPs will also be present.
Later in the afternoon, Shah will return to Guwahati to review the implementation of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) across the Northeast. The chief ministers of all eight northeastern states will provide updates on their respective states’ progress. The home minister is scheduled to return to New Delhi on Sunday night.
Congress criticizes exclusion of Manipur
The Congress party has raised concerns over Shah’s itinerary, questioning the exclusion of Manipur from his Northeast visit. Congress General Secretary in-charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, criticized the home minister’s schedule, pointing out that despite the ongoing ethnic conflict in Manipur, no visit to the state has been planned.
“The Assam chief minister has just announced that the Union home minister will be making a three-day visit to Assam and Mizoram, beginning March 14. But why is Manipur not on his itinerary?” Ramesh said.
The Congress has been vocal in its criticism of the Modi government’s handling of the crisis in Manipur. The party has also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of ignoring the state’s ethnic strife, which has led to over 220 deaths and displaced thousands since violence erupted in May 2023 between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities.
Earlier this week, the Congress took a jibe at Modi’s foreign visit to Mauritius, stating that while the prime minister frequently travels abroad, Manipur continues to await his visit. (With inputs from PTI)