SARBANANDA SONOWAL
Man who helped BJP script history
Assam was waiting for him ever since he won a major legal victory over illegal immigrants in 2005. And for the next five years, Sarbananda Sonowal will script the state's history, thanks to the mandate handed to him by the people in the Assembly polls.
The indications were clear ahead of the Assembly elections — and that's exactly what happened: the 53-year-old BJP leader is now poised to lead Assam as its new Chief Minister.
Born in the tea district of Dibrugarh in 1962, Sonowal was a student leader in his younger days. He was a member of the All-Assam Students Union (AASU) and served as its president between 1992 and 1999. He later entered active politics by joining the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP).
Sonowal shot to fame in 2005 when he took up the issue of "illegal infiltration from Bangladesh" and moved the Supreme Court for removing the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunal) Act, 1983.
In its landmark judgment on July 12, 2005, the apex court struck down the act as being "unconstitutional" and termed Bangladeshi infiltration an act of "external aggression". The judgment has had its impact on Sonowal's political career: he became the "Jatiya Nayak" (national hero) of Assam — a title bestowed on him by the AASU.
However, Sonowal was aiming to spread his wings beyond a regional outfit.
In 2011, he left the AGP and joined the BJP. The same year, he was appointed to the party's national executive and made spokesperson and general secretary of the BJP's Assam unit. In 2012, he was appointed president of the state BJP-and there had been no looking back since then.
Sonowal synthesised his tribal identity with his brand of Hindutva politics. His staunch opposition to the Bangaldeshi migrants suited the RSS and the BJP in their quest for power beyond the Brahmaputra in the northeast.
And as we see now, it did wonders for the saffron outfit that had just six MLAs in the previous Assembly. Sonowal has delivered the state to his leader Narendra Modi. This, despite the fact that the "Modi wave" of 2014 was either on the wane or didn't exist.
Delighted by the success, 53-year-old Sonowal attributed it to the "family-like team work" of BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah and a new entrant Himanta Bishwa Sarmah. — IANS
Man who helped BJP script history
Assam was waiting for him ever since he won a major legal victory over illegal immigrants in 2005. And for the next five years, Sarbananda Sonowal will script the state's history, thanks to the mandate handed to him by the people in the Assembly polls.
The indications were clear ahead of the Assembly elections — and that's exactly what happened: the 53-year-old BJP leader is now poised to lead Assam as its new Chief Minister.
Born in the tea district of Dibrugarh in 1962, Sonowal was a student leader in his younger days. He was a member of the All-Assam Students Union (AASU) and served as its president between 1992 and 1999. He later entered active politics by joining the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP).
Sonowal shot to fame in 2005 when he took up the issue of "illegal infiltration from Bangladesh" and moved the Supreme Court for removing the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunal) Act, 1983.
In its landmark judgment on July 12, 2005, the apex court struck down the act as being "unconstitutional" and termed Bangladeshi infiltration an act of "external aggression". The judgment has had its impact on Sonowal's political career: he became the "Jatiya Nayak" (national hero) of Assam — a title bestowed on him by the AASU.
However, Sonowal was aiming to spread his wings beyond a regional outfit.
In 2011, he left the AGP and joined the BJP. The same year, he was appointed to the party's national executive and made spokesperson and general secretary of the BJP's Assam unit. In 2012, he was appointed president of the state BJP-and there had been no looking back since then.
Sonowal synthesised his tribal identity with his brand of Hindutva politics. His staunch opposition to the Bangaldeshi migrants suited the RSS and the BJP in their quest for power beyond the Brahmaputra in the northeast.
And as we see now, it did wonders for the saffron outfit that had just six MLAs in the previous Assembly. Sonowal has delivered the state to his leader Narendra Modi. This, despite the fact that the "Modi wave" of 2014 was either on the wane or didn't exist.
Delighted by the success, 53-year-old Sonowal attributed it to the "family-like team work" of BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah and a new entrant Himanta Bishwa Sarmah. — IANS
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