Cong. opposes BJP’s move to restore Orang park’s name

Assam Congress on Thursday expressed deep anguish over the decision of the BJP-led government to restore the original name of the Rajiv Gandhi National Park as Orang National Park.

The Assam cabinet took this decision on Wednesday to fulfil the demands of the Adivasi and Tea Tribe community of the state.

While condemning the decision of the BJP government, Assam Congress said that by just changing the name of a park or an institution, the government would not be able to wipe away Gandhi’s contributions as the architect of future India.

Assam Congress president Bhupen Bora told reporters, “The computers and the mobile phones that BJP is using today to further their agenda of rewriting history were made available to them through the IT revolution brought about by Rajiv Gandhi.”

“Can we wipe away the contributions of Rajiv Gandhi towards bringing peace to Assam through the Assam Accord? Can we deny that he made the elected Congress government of late Hiteswar Saikia resign to make way for AGP (Asom Gana Parishad) to contest elections and form the government?” Borah asked.

He regretted, “Today’s BJP would not understand such kind of politics as they are only busy in changing names of institutions, rewriting an agenda-based history of India where they have zero contribution and buying politicians of other parties to form governments.”

The Orang National Park, comprising an area of 79.28 sq km now, was first notified as a game reserve in 1915 by the British and in 1985 it was declared as Wildlife Sanctuary. In 1999 it was upgraded to National Park, and in 2016, recognised as a Tiger Reserve.

The controversy over the name of the park started in 1992 when then Hiteshwar Saikia-led Congress government changed the name from Orang Wildlife Sanctuary to Rajiv Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary. The name change had triggered a major controversy with the local community, as well as civil society organisations opposing the decision of the government.

There are seven national parks in Assam —Kaziranga, Manas, Orang, Nameri, Dibru-Saikhowa and more recently, Raimona and Dehing Patkai.

Assam minister Pijush Hazarika while defending the decision of the government said, “Assam chief minister had recently met the representatives of the Tea Tribe and Adivasi community and they had requested him to restore the original name of the park.”

The local community leaders have welcomed the decision of the government to restore the original ethnic name of the national park which is a house for onehorned rhino, tigers, elephants, wild boars, pygmy hogs, and a variety of fish, among a host of other flora and fauna species.