Bulldozers welcome Assam CM Himanta Sarma in pre-poll yatra, Gaurav Gogoi promises change

Guwahati: BJP workers on Sunday lined up bulldozers along a road in central Assam's Jagiroad and welcomed CM Himanta Biswa Sarma by showering flowers from the blades--in a symbolic celebrations of the ongoing eviction drives--on the second day of the ruling party's Jan Ashirwad Yatra organised as part of its preparation for the Assembly elections.

The Opposition Congress, on the other hand, continued their "Samay Paribortonor Yatra" (yatra for change in time) in eastern Assam with the party leader Gaurav Gogoi on Sunday exuding confidence about the Opposition parties ushering a change of guard in the state.

BJP flags fluttered on the bulldozers while a few party workers showered flowers from the blades on Sarma, who stood on the roof of a car, shook hands with the crowd, many of whom offered him traditional gamosas (traditional towels) near Jagiroad, situated about 50km east of Guwahati. Jagiroad is the Assembly constituency where Cabinet Minister Pijush Hazarika is eyeing his second straight term in the Assembly. Hazarika, a close aid of Sarma and BJP's state unit president, Dilip Saikia, also stood with the CM. BJP's poll campaign song was played loudly as the yatra moved further towards Nagaon.

Addressing the crowd, Sarma said his government since May 2021 had cleared over 1.5 lakh bigha of land from encroachers and promised that five lakh bigha of land would be cleared in the next term of his government. "It is a message that we will continue the evictions. No Bangladeshi illegal migrants will be able to live in peace in Assam." Sarma was referring to the evictions being carried out targetting the Bengali-speaking Muslims, whom BJP derogatorilly calls as miyas. Thousands of Bengali-speaking Muslim families have been evicted from foretss and government land.

BJP has been projecting the eviction drive as one of its successes.

"BJP has been working for safety, security and development of the indigenous people of Assam. The same journey will continue." The party also talked about the land deeds being given by the government to the indigenous communities. BJP has been projecting it as the saviour of the indigenous communities as it targets the Congress for being "pro-Miya."

The yatra, which began in North Assam's Dhekiajuli constituency, will continue for nine days.

Gaurav sees as change

Addressing the Samay Paribartanar Yatra in Assamese-dominated Dibrugarh district in eastern Assam, Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi on Sunday said BJP's failure to provide Scheduled Tribe status to six more ethnic communities: Ahom, Moran, Motok Chutia, Koch Rajbongshi and the Adivasi tea tribe, will lead to debacle of BJP government in the state. "Congress remains firmly committed to building a new greater Assam by uniting people across all communities, irrespective of caste, creed, or religion." Congress has been alleging corruption and failure to fulfill its pre-poll promises by BJP as it gears up to take on the saffron party and its allies in the Assembly elections slated in April.