GUWAHATI, March 10: The BJP on Tuesday announced a list of three candidates for the second phase of the Assam Assembly elections, while denying a party ticket to sitting MLA from Hojai, Shiladitya Dev.
The saffron party has instead named Ramakrishna Ghosh as the candidate for Hojai constituency.
The other two names in the list include Milan Das, who will contest from Hailakandi constituency in Barak Valley, while former Assam Sahitya Sabha president, who recently joined BJP, Paramananda Rajbongshi, will contest from Sipajhar constituency in the north bank.
Dev, who is known to be outspoken, often triggering controversies on sensitive issues, was quick to react to the “snub” on social media. “Finally I have been kicked out from BJP,” he bluntly posted on his Facebook page.
Later, expressing his thoughts before the media, he said, “There was a big conspiracy not to give me a ticket…in fact, this was being planned over the past four years…I would say that my push to the Hindutva agenda has had a bearing on this decision by the party.”
Informing that he would quit the party on Wednesday evening, Dev said, “Once I tender my resignation, I will become a free man. From tomorrow, I will start a new journey.”
Accusing the party, he went on to allege, “BJP is not the party that was under Vajpayee ji or Advani ji ….it is now a commercial party.”
Asked whether he would contest as an Independent or join any other party, he replied, “At his moment, I am still with the party, so I will not say anything….”
It may be mentioned that during the anti-CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) movement, Dev had been very vocal in support of the Act. There have been times when he was quoted to have said, “CAA is not my subject, but National Register of Citizens (NRC) is,”
He had even once “insulted” chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal when the latter referred to jatiyo chetona or having consciousness about Assamese nationalism, while addressing a rally in Lakhimpur, at a time when the anti-CAB (Citizenship Amendment Bill) protests had rocked the state.
In July 2019, Dev had charged former National Register of Citizens (NRC) state coordinator, Prateek Hajela of “working with a hidden agenda”, alleging that the NRC is “tampered with some software that can make anyone an Indian or foreigner”.
Dev had once said that “as many as 80lakh Bangladeshi Muslims have found a place in the NRC”.
Last year, at least six complaints were filed against controversial MLA by various organisations after he termed revered scholar from Assam, Syed Abdul Malik, an “intellectual jihadi”.