From Our Special
Correspondent
GUWAHATI: Prabajan Virodhi Manch convenor and Independent candidate for Guwahati parliamentary constituency, Upamanyu Hazarika has claimed that the electorate of the urban seat would reject candidates of parties which have been indifferent towards the interests of indigenous people of the state.
Seventeen candidates, including six Independent candidates, are in the fray for the prestigious seat previously held by BJP’s Bijoya Chakravarty, even as it is anticipated that BJP and Congress would be the dominant contenders.
Addressing the media here on Saturday, ahead of the April 23 election, Hazarika, who is also a Supreme Court lawyer, alleged that political parties in Assam have been indifferent towards upholding the interests of indigenous people of the state and that the electorate should therefore reject candidates of such parties in the polls.
Guwahati Lok Sabha seat comprising 10 Assembly segments, has 21,78, 617 voters, the highest among all the 14 parliamentary seats of Assam. “The message should go from the electorate of this constituency that parties resorting to money power and adhering to double standards would be rejected. Candidates who do not uphold the interests of indigenous people and instead push them to the brink of being minorities on their own land, will be rejected,”
Four lakh manifestos have been distributed by Hazarika since March 11 across the nook and cranny of the state, including the border areas of Garo Hills, which he claimed to have had an impact among the electorate.
“We need to transform the nature of politics in the state with this election. Candidates have to uphold indigenous interests and not those of foreigners,” he said.
It may be mentioned that the anti-influx organization led by Hazarika has been resolute on a three-point charter of demands which include enactment of a legislation protecting land rights and employment opportunities for indigenous people, re-verification of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and prevention of illegal influx in the state.
“Moreover, none of the candidates representing the national parties this time in Guwahati Lok Sabha seat have their own identity,” he added.