Himanta thanks PM as Parliament clears IIM-Guwahati bill, attacks Congress for 'opposing' it

Guwahati, Aug 20 (PTI) Thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the Parliament cleared a bill for establishing the country's 22nd IIM in Guwahati, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday claimed Congress MPs from Assam had opposed it.

The IIM-Guwahati is set to be established with an investment of Rs 555 crore.

The Indian Institutes of Management (Amendment) Bill, 2025, was passed by the Rajya Sabha with a voice vote even as the Opposition staged a walkout soon after the bill was introduced. It was cleared by the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

Thanking the PM, Sarma said in a post on X, "Your leadership and commitment to ensure Assam's development in every sphere is ensuring fast-paced growth in the State- from AIIMS to NFSU (National Forensic Studies University) to now IIM, everything has been possible due to your unwavering efforts." Modi also congratulated the people of the state on the passage of the bill.

"Congratulations to the people of Assam! The establishment of an IIM in the state will enhance education infrastructure and draw students as well as researchers from all over India," he posted on X.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a programme earlier in the day, Sarma said he was not surprised that Congress MPs from the state had opposed the bill "We have videos of them saying 'no' to the bill. The people of Assam are seeing how the opposition members are resisting the setting up of a prestigious institution in their own state," he said.

"Congress has shown they stand against Assam's interests, and we do not need to give any proof for this, as is evident from their own actions," he added.

Sarma alleged that "Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge's son" Priyank Kharge, who is a minister in Karnataka, had opposed the setting up of the semiconductor plant in Assam, and now the party's MPs were opposing the IIM.

"The people of the state are aware of their anti-Assam politics and will respond to them accordingly," he said.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said IIM-Guwahati will start admitting students from the current academic year itself.

He said this will be the ninth IIM to be established since Narendra Modi became the prime minister in 2014.

The permanent campus will be set up at Palasbari near Guwahati in Kamrup district.

PTI DG DG SOM