India, Jan. 26 -- Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said voters must decide in the coming assembly elections whether they want a government that "surrenders" before illegal immigrants or one that protects the state's identity and culture.

Addressing the 77th Republic Day celebrations in Dibrugarh, Sarma said people also had to choose between a past marked by bomb blasts, protests and fear, and a present focused on peace and development. He said earlier Republic Day and Independence Day celebrations in Assam were held amid boycott calls, threats of violence and the sound of guns, but such fears no longer exist.

"Now, these celebrations are held under a sky of equality, unity and the victory march of development," he said...