A day after BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma swore in as the Chief Minister of Assam, his wife Riniki Bhuyan Sarma has revealed how he had prophesied his political fortunes 30 years ago.
While speaking to the media, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma narrated what the Assam CM had told her when they met 30 years ago. Himanta Biswa Sarma was 22 years old then while his wife was 17. On being asked what she should tell her mother about his future prospects, Himanta Biswa Sarma had remarked, “Inform your mother, I will be the Chief Minister one day.” At that time, he was just a student of Cotton College in Guwahati.
When he was sworn in on Monday as the CM of the State, Rinki Bhuyan Sarma couldn’t help but think of the prophecy he had made to her. “He was a minister for several years, but when I was watching him taking the oath as Chief Minister today (Monday), I could not believe it,” she emphasised. She was still in disbelief the previous night when he had confirmed that he was the CM designate. The couple married in May 2001 after 10 years of courtship.
Rinki Bhuyan Sarma believes her husband can resolve the issues of Assam
Himanta Biswa Sarma, now 52 years old, has two children, namely Nandil and Sukanya Sarma. He has been credited for ensuring BJP’s victory in Assam.”It is always Himanta for me and our children. I cannot relate to him as the CM. It would take some time for me to feel that he is the executive head of a state…A person in public life has to face many odds and challenges but I am confident that he would solve the issues and tasks as he is a person who thinks positively both with his heart and mind besides both sides of the issues,” she highlighted.
Himanta Biswa Sarma and his leadership skills contributed to BJP’s success
Always known as an able administrator from the times when he was a minister in the previous Congress governments, Sarma’s popularity soared in the outgoing government for his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic as the Health Minister, and the improvement done in roads, bridges, and other infrastructure as the PWD minister. He also held the Education, Finance, and Transformation & Development departments, and was the most visible face of the government.
He had brought several reforms to the education sector as a minister and has been presenting balanced budgets focusing both on development and social welfare as a finance minister. Due to his campaign, BJP managed to secure 60 seats in the 126 member house, besides the support of AGP and UPPL with 9 and 6 MLAs.
