Himanta Biswa Sarma Doesn't Know If Ashok Singhal Owns Land Near Zubeen Kshetra

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma has stated while addressing to media on Monday that he doesn't know about his cabinet colleague Ashok SInghal's possession of land near Zubeen Kshetra.

The controversy brewed during the past couple of days about Minister Ashok Singhal owning land near Zubeen Kshetra. At the helm of the controversy has been how a person like Singhal can own land in a protected tribal belt.

Leaders from the opposition plank raised the issue of securing land for the protected communities in the tribal belt and blocks, which are essentially meant to secure protection to indigenous communities residing there. Land is the most important entity that needs to be protected for the indigenous tribes.

CM Sarma's denial of his knowledge of Ashok Singhal's possession of land obviously doesn't answer the apprehensions about safeguarding the land of the indigenous tribes, raised by opposition leaders and other concerned citizens.

Same Amount of Land for Bhupen Hazarika & Zubeen Garg's Cremation Sites

In the same statement, CM Sarma said that the government will allocate 10 bighas of land for Zubeen Kshetra, adding that the same amount was allocated for Bhupen Hazarika's cremation site. "We have allocated land to Zubeen Kshetra, but who owns land on both sides of Zubeen Kshetra is not known to me. This is not a task of the Chief Minister," Sarma was quoted to have said.

On this, concerns are now raised about how a Chief Minister doesn't know whether Ashok Singhal owns land in a tribal belt.  

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