Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday accused the previous Congress government of ignoring indigenous sentiments in pursuit of vote bank politics, resulting in the encroachment of 922 Satra lands across the state.

In a post on his official X handle, Sarma said, “The Congress Govt ignored sentiments of the indigenous people while pandering to their illegal immigrant votebank, which led to 922 Satra lands being encroached upon.”

He added that thousands of bighas of Satra lands have been encroached upon in major centres of Assam. The Chief Minister affirmed his government’s commitment, stating, “We are on a mission to reclaim them.”

Satra lands hold religious and cultural importance in Assam and are linked to the neo-Vaishnavite monasteries established by Srimanta Sankardeva.