Assam: Sonowal dethroned, unwept and unsung

The English saying “a rolling stone gathers no moss” has withstood the tests, nay, “agni-pariksha” for centuries.

In the case of former Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, over the last one decade or so, he has boldly engraved his political standing on record, as one of leaping and frog jumping leaders, from one political platform to another in search of greener pastures.

Significantly, his first base AASU, which ironically has always been camouflaged as apolitical organisation, for long years as frontline AASU activist provided him a forum, political in essence, but shielded under thick cover, lest the proverbial fools jam-packing the gallery begin donning the thinking cap.

He next leaped into the ever fuming cauldron of active politics with the AGP as the first transit point in his career of active politics.

Note may be taken that it was while in the AGP that Sarbananda Sonowal made his first major leap in the world of politics when he got elected as an MP to the Lok Sabha.

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However, in due course, when he lost to the Congress, with the limelight eluding him, he made a mighty frog-leap and landed in the BJP camp amidst a saffron carnival.

As lady luck would smile on him, the saffron wave of 2014 propelled Sonowal, donned in saffron, to the Lok Sabha as an MP.

He was also offered a ministerial berth (MoS) at the Centre.

2016 witnessed Sonowal at the zenith of his political career when the BJP swept the Assembly polls in Assam and the first BJP-led government was formed in the State.

Politically and administratively speaking, the five years of BJP rule in Assam with him as the Chief Minister seemed to be virtually guided by the Centre.

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There were also occasions when observers felt that he was allegedly taking orders from Nagpur.

Whatever might have been the truth, the talk of the town was if he was playing second fiddle to Himanta Biswa Sarma, who almost out-shadowed him, apparently in terms of power, activity and dynamism at ground level.

Unlike Himanta, seemingly Sonowal appeared to be, to a large extent, short of political vision to lay new tracks with a view to growth and development of the state in the coming decades.

In fact, this is a basic requirement demanded of any political heavyweight before he is chosen as a CM.

Going by media and other reports he was a near failure in protecting the natural wealth of the state like forest, oil, coal or to put the tea industry on a dynamic track with galloping acceleration.

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Further, on the employment front, he proved to be a virtually total failure with unemployment burgeoning in astronomical figures.

Perhaps, he forgot that the immediate requirements of the teeming millions are “roti, kapdda aur maakan”.

In contrast, Himanta Biswa Sarma who has just taken over reigns at Dispur, holds an enviable record of being a man of action and political sagacity.

One only hopes, wishes and prays that under his leadership the state may find itself on some superfast highway of development and growth.