Why is the same Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that spoke for the security of the indigenous people, trying to frame me as the leader of Ahoms, asked Sivasagar MLA and Raijor Dal chief Akhil Gogoi on Monday.
Addressing a press conference regarding the delimitation draft at his residence in Guwahati, Akhil Gogoi said that when he spoke about the damage the draft will do to the indigenous people, he was not advocating only on behalf of the Ahom community.
Akhil Gogoi said, “We did not speak on behalf of Ahom community only. We raised our voice against the damage that will befall on all ethnic communities in Assam due to the mooted delimitation process. We spoke on behalf of Koch Rajbongshi, Tiwa and every other indigenous community in Assam.”
However, Gogoi questioned the Assam Chief Minister’s move to label him as a leader of Ahoms. He said, “They only saw the three Gogois, not the Saikias, Boras or Talukdars. Why is the same BJP that spoke for the security of the indigenous people trying to make me a leader of Ahoms?”
Akhil Gogoi further said, “In the name of delimitation, the only people who will benefit are Bengali Hindus. Political leaders like Badruddin Ajmal and Karim Uddin Barbhuiya will benefit from this. Earlier, Bengali Hindus were able to get six constituencies in the Barak valley, now nine constituencies have been handed to them. Earlier, only two Bengali Hindu leaders were able to win in the Barak valley.”
Lahowal was the constituency of Matak people. Having divided it, are they actually safeguarding the interests of the indigenous people? Gogoi further asked whether the indigenous people in upper Assam were given the status of Scheduled Caste (SC) or not.
