The battle cry for Assam Assembly elections, 2026 has been sounded. Two national parties like BJP and Congress are attacking each other with their respective political weapons. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is leading from BJP side and State President Gaurav Gogoi from Congress side. No party wants to miss that opportunity to corner the opposing party. While CM Himanta is attacking Gogoi by calling him a Pakistani agent, Gogoi is continuously accusing Himanta government of serious corruption. Amidst these developments, the Chief Minister mentioned ‘Barak Valley’ on Friday (February 20).
In fact, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma inaugurated the Star Cement Unit in Bihara of Cachar district with much fanfare. He said that this is the project which will increase industrial development in ‘Barak Valley’ and people will get more employment opportunities. The Chief Minister said that this new cement factory is a big step towards bringing about a change in the direction of economic development in Barak Valley. It also shows the increasing industrial development of Assam.
Growing importance of Barak Valley in East Policy
Chief Minister Himanta Sarma stressed the growing importance of Barak Valley in the development of the state and India’s Act East Policy. Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched the Vibrant Village Program II across the country from Cachar on 20 February. After this program, the CM, pointing towards the upcoming Barak Valley Secretariat, said, ‘Amit Shah is going to start Vibrant Village Program II across the country from Cachar, this shows the importance of this area in the environment of the country.’ He said that this area was earlier ignored, but has now become an important area in the development perspective of Assam and the East Vision of the country.
After the Chief Minister’s statement, his office gave information that this plant is a greenfield cement plant. Its annual production capacity is 2 million tonnes. Advanced German technology has been used in the plant, making it high-tech. But the question arises that as the elections are approaching, why is Barak mentioning about the valley and getting development work done there. In such a situation, let us know what is the importance of Barak Valley in Assam…
What is Barak Valley?
Actually, Barak Valley comes in the southern part of Assam. This area is in the water-shed of Barak River. This is the area where all the rain water collects at one place and comes out from the Barak River. Barak River is a unique geographical and cultural region separate from the Brahmaputra Valley, hence the river is called the lifeline of the region. This region mainly consists of three districts – Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi. It also includes some parts of Dima Hasao district. This area is about 9 percent of the total area of Assam.
Demography and culture
The estimated population of the valley is about 44 lakh. It is bordered by Meghalaya in the north, Mizoram in the south, Manipur in the east and Tripura and Sylhet division of Bangladesh in the west. Castes like Dimasa, Kuki, Naga, Reang, Manipuri and Koch etc. live in the Barak Valley area. Apart from this, a large number of Muslims live here. In fact, during the medieval period it remained under Turko-Afghan and Mughal rule, due to which there is considerable Muslim influence here. Most of the people living here (80 percent) speak Bengali language. However, in some parts people also speak Assamese. According to the 2011 census, the population of the three districts of Barak Valley was about 36.2 lakh. Of this, 50 percent are Hindus, 48.1 percent are Muslims and 1.6 percent are Christians.
Economic importance of scarcity in Assam?
Barak Valley plays an important role in the economy of Assam. This area is agricultural but industrially backward. Tea is mainly produced in agriculture in the entire area. The tea gardens here contribute significantly to the total tea production of Assam. Apart from this, crops like orange, banana, betel, tree bean and broom grass are grown in the valley as commercial crops.
Political importance of Barak Valley in Assam
Barak Valley holds linguistic, cultural and border importance in the politics of Assam. The people here have been active in the Barak Rajya movement for a long time, due to which there is a demand for a separate state. Being on the Bangladesh border, this area is also important for national security and Act East Policy. Recently the BJP government has launched Vibrant Village Program-II in the valley. Through this program the government will emphasize on development work here. The area lacks connectivity resources like road, rail and air. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has described this area as a part of the development roadmap of Assam. He says that this neglected area is now at the center of the government.
Let us tell you that there are a total of 126 assembly seats in Assam. Out of these 126 seats, Barak Valley alone accounts for about 15 assembly seats. Apart from this, there are two Lok Sabha seats – Silchar and Karimganj. Both these seats are in the control of BJP. Apart from this, Barak Valley is strategically part of the ‘East Policy’ of the Government of India.
Why is BJP eyeing Barak Valley?
Actually, there are 15 assembly seats in Barak Valley. These seats are so big that they have the power to form or destroy the government. If 48 percent Muslims and some Hindu communities here together vote for Congress, then it can create trouble for BJP. But BJP and Chief Minister Sarma know this. This is the reason why BJP is placing major emphasis on this area and first getting the development work done, later the party will do politics in the three districts as per its policies.
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