Kaziranga is at the centre of a fresh political row after Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma accused the Congress of damaging the national park and claimed the BJP had protected it.
Speaking in Delhi on Wednesday, Sarma said Congress should apologise for what he described as the destruction of Kaziranga during its years in power. He also linked the claim to the wider debate over conservation, development and the proposed rationalisation of the park’s Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ).
Kaziranga becomes a political flashpoint
Sarma made the remarks as Congress and the BJP continued to clash over the future of Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve. The dispute has intensified after the Assam government proposed a site-specific ESZ around the protected area.
The Chief Minister said, “Congress destroyed Kaziranga. BJP has protected Kaziranga,” while attacking the Congress’s record on wildlife protection. He also referred to former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and said the park’s rhino population would have faced a serious threat had Gogoi remained in office for another five years.
Those remarks are political allegations rather than an independent assessment of the park’s conservation history. Kaziranga has remained one of India’s most important wildlife areas and is recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Kaziranga ESZ debate fuels the row
The latest political exchange comes amid a major dispute over the Eco-Sensitive Zone surrounding Kaziranga. The Assam government has proposed rationalising the default 10-kilometre ESZ and moving towards a site-specific zone of about one to three kilometres.
Sarma has argued that the proposal does not reduce the legal boundaries of the national park. He has also said a blanket 10-kilometre zone could affect towns and communities near the park, including Bokakhat, Kaliabor and Doboka.
The government has maintained that the proposal follows Supreme Court directions and seeks to balance conservation with the interests of people living around the protected landscape.
Congress challenges BJP’s Kaziranga policy
Congress, however, has strongly opposed the proposed change. The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee held a protest at Kohora on August 18, calling for the ESZ proposal to be withdrawn.
The party has argued that reducing the protected buffer could weaken safeguards for wildlife corridors and surrounding ecosystems. Congress leaders have also questioned proposed tourism projects near the park and accused the BJP government of placing development interests ahead of environmental concerns.
The dispute has also drawn attention to proposed luxury hotel development near Kaziranga. Indigenous rights activist Pranab Doley was arrested in July during protests linked to a proposed luxury resort and was later detained under the National Security Act after receiving bail. Congress has criticised the government’s action.
Kaziranga conservation claims draw counterclaims
The BJP and its leaders have rejected Congress’s criticism and highlighted the government’s conservation record. Agriculture Minister Pijush Hazarika recently accused opposition groups of changing their position on the ESZ issue, while insisting that Kaziranga’s forests, wildlife corridors and biodiversity must remain protected.
Sarma has also defended regulated tourism infrastructure near protected areas. He has argued that conservation and tourism can coexist when development is properly managed, citing the example of areas around Jim Corbett National Park.
At the same time, environmental groups and opposition parties remain concerned about the possible impact of development on wildlife habitats and movement corridors.
Kaziranga debate likely to continue
The political battle over Kaziranga is now closely tied to a larger question: how should Assam balance wildlife conservation with the needs of communities and economic development?
Sarma’s latest comments place the park’s conservation record firmly at the centre of the political contest between the Congress and BJP. Congress, meanwhile, continues to demand stronger environmental safeguards and has organised protests against the proposed ESZ changes.
For now, the disagreement remains political as well as environmental. As the government moves ahead with its ESZ proposal, scrutiny of its impact on Kaziranga’s wildlife, corridors and neighbouring communities is likely to continue. The debate will also keep the competing conservation claims of Congress and the BJP under close public attention.
