HBS — The Political Jainus of Assam’s Rapidly Changing Landscape

In the ever-shifting theatre of Assam’s politics, Himanta Biswa Sarma (HBS) emerges as the Jainus of the moment — a two-faced god of transition, gazing both at the turbulent past that shaped him and the uncertain future he must now negotiate. His political journey is not a straight road but a series of deliberate crossings — a masterclass in adaptability, fieldcraft, and instinctive timing.

From his fiery days as an AASU activist and alleged ULFA overground worker, to his transformation into a Congress (I) loyalist, MLA, and cabinet minister under Tarun Gogoi, Sarma’s trajectory embodies the transitional phases of Assam’s political evolution. When the Congress fortress began to crumble, he crossed the ideological river he once condemned and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party, the saffron bloc he had long opposed. Yet, in that act of defection lay his genius — reading the wind before others could feel the breeze.

As the chief architect of BJP’s consolidation in the Northeast, HBS transformed from a minister to the undisputed general of Assamese politics. His charisma, strategic brilliance, and Nixonian style of verbal combat gave him a rare edge — both as a communicator and as a controller. He knew the pulse of the bureaucracy, the psyche of the people, and the hidden gears of power. His rise symbolized the triumph of intelligence and ambition over static ideology.

But every ascent contains the seed of decline. The aura that once surrounded Himanta Biswa Sarma — the strategist, the orator, the invincible political general — now flickers in the twilight of scrutiny. The corruption charges involving his wife have begun to erode the moral foundation of his governance narrative. What was once admired as political supremacy now appears as a fortress showing signs of internal strain.

The re-entry of Gaurav Gogoi into Assam’s political arena has further disturbed the equilibrium. He represents not merely the Congress heir but the ghost of an unfinished rivalry — the return of a legacy that HBS believed he had buried under the weight of saffron dominance. And then, the death of Zubeen Garg, a cultural icon and people’s voice, transformed into a political storm that pierced the calm of his administration. Whether by circumstance or political manipulation, the tragedy became a lightning rod for public discontent — and Sarma, inevitably, its target.

His own words — “If I resign, half the movement will cease” — reflected both his confidence in control and his recognition of vulnerability. The pace of his political gameplan, once seen as dynamic and visionary, now seems too swift, too forceful, attracting brickbats more than flowers. What once was a showcase of leadership now risks turning into an exhibition of overreach.

Today, whispers echo through Assam’s corridors of power — that the General of Assam politics is sinking. Yet, as with the mythic Jainus, Himanta Biswa Sarma continues to embody contradiction — one face hardened by defiance, the other shadowed by introspection. His legacy stands at a crossroads: whether he will rise again as the unchallenged architect of Assam’s destiny, or fade as a cautionary tale of power’s impermanence.

HBS remains, above all, the Political Jainus — the man who mastered transitions, only to be tested by the transition of time itself.