Guwahati: Protests are raging in Assam in the wake of the BJP’s vision document brought out for Delhi assembly elections referring to the people from the region living in the national capital as ‘immigrants’
Different political and non-political organisations in the region are up in arms against the BJP over the issue demanding an unconditional apology from it. Former state BJP President and incumbent Union Minister of state for youth affairs and sports, Sarbananda Sonowal while
tendering apology for the ‘printing error in the vision document’ was said the BJP government in the Centre led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was committed to the development of N-E region and its people.
Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi has reacted by stating that the BJP had once again exposed its poverty of knowledge about the Northeast.
Krishak Mukti Sangram Samity (KMSS), an influential NGO in Assam has hit the streets all over Assam in protest against BJP calling people of the North East as immigrants in New Delhi.
The All Assam Students
Union (AASU) is bringing out a torch-light procession in the protest in Guwahati on Wednesday evening.But the issue has put Assam BJP on a soup given that the urban local bodies ‘election is being held in the state on February 9 next and the Congress has gone all out to make it an issue before the polls to corner the BJP. Already clashes broke out in Guwahati between the BJP and Congress workers after the NSUI protestors resorting to burn the BJP flag condemning the party for terming people from the region as ‘immigrants in New Delhi’.
“We have been fighting against the onslaught of immigrants for the past 35 years, and here is a
political party – and that too the ruling party of the country – which has termed the people of the
Northeast as immigrants. How can we tolerate this? This is nothing but blatant insult to the Northeast.
The BJP must tender an unconditional apology and it should come from the top, from the prime minister’s level,” said All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) advisor Samujjal Bhatta-charjya. He is also advisor to the North-East Students’ Organisation (NESO).
President of the regional Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) president Atul Bora said such a statement coming
from the ruling party at the Centre had vindicated the AGP’s stand that that everybody in Delhi has the
same perception about the Northeast. “There is no difference between the Congress and BJP. The damage done that has been done is irreparable,” Bora said.
