GUWAHATI, Feb 1: Thousands of people made a beeline to Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma’s official residence at Dispur since yesterday (Jan 31) evening to wish him on his special day as the Chief Minister turned 56 today, ringing in special celebrations not just in the Sarma family but across the State, including his home constituency Jalukbari.
For people who are aware of the atmosphere that transpires into at Chief Minister Dr Sarma’s residence as the clock strikes midnight on February 1 every year, for those who are still not aware, the sight, for many of them, would be similar to what they were often accustomed to seeing at Mannat, the residence of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan or Big B’s residence Jalsa.
The scenes yesterday at the Chief Minister’s Dispur residence, too, wasn’t any different.
From people coming from his beloved Jalukbari to some coming from as far as Dibrugarh and Tinsukia, and the Barak Valley, the love and respect he commands from the people is next to none, almost.
One person came from Haryana, and said; “He is special; there can’t be another Chief Minister like him”.
As people made a beeline to meet and wish him on his birthday — and to also take a selfie with him to make the moment memorable — he did not disappoint them as he patiently waited, accepting their love and good wishes.
For someone he was their dearest Dada who has stood by them since 2001 when he became the Jalukbari MLA for the first time; for others he was their favourite Mama.
“He is and will always be our favourite, our icon, our idol; someone whom we look up to for everything. May God grant him good health in the coming days so that he fulfills his dream of making Assam rank among the top States of the country.
“Since the past many years many people come to wish me on my birthday and this year has been no different. I am grateful to them for their love and blessings. I hope that they keep showering their love on me and I also hope to keep working for them in the coming years,” Chief Minister Dr Sarma said.
Special prayers were held in temples and naamghars praying for his good health and long life.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to ‘X’ to wish Chief Minister Dr Sarma on his birthday.
“Birthday greetings to Assam CM Shri Himanta Biswa Sarma Ji. I commend his efforts to boost Assam’s growth and empower the people of the state. May he be blessed with a long and healthy life in service of the people,” PM Modi wrote.
On the other hand, Chief Minister Dr Sarma began his birthday with a slew of programmes that included launching the OPD services at Pragjyotishpur Medical College, Assam’s 14th Medical College, in Guwahati besides also launching an HRMS portal for all Medical College employees to bring together all employee data under a single platform.
He then travelled to Morigaon district where he dedicated to the people the newly-built bridge connecting Morigaon with Jagi Bhakatgaon.
Chief Minister Dr Sarma then visited the Tata Semiconductor project and took stock of its progress besides also launching work on the Assam Electronics and Semiconductor Logistics Park.
He also attended another programme at the Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra where he interacted with children of cleaners.
