Indigenous groups issue week-long ultimatum to Gaurav Gogoi to expel Sarkar from Congress following provocative comments on Upper Assam
A massive political firestorm has engulfed Assam Congress following the controversial remarks made by newly-inducted leader and former AAMSU president Rezaul Karim Sarkar when he, after joining the party in the presence of Jorhat MP and Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Gaurav Gogoi on Sunday, vowed to transform Upper Assam strongholds — from Tinsukia to Sivasagar — into “Dhubri”, a statement seen as a threat to alter the demographic and cultural landscape of Upper Assam.
“The Chief Minister of Assam repeatedly says he will take Assam among the top-five States in India. But we do not want that kind of Assam. We are moving forward under the leadership of Gaurav Gogoi to build an Assam where Sivasagar will be Dhubri, Dhubri will be Sivasagar, Barak will be like Sivasagar, and Tinsukia will be like Dhubri…,” Rezaul Karim said after joining the Congress party on Sunday.
His statement created a storm in Assam with the BJP and indigenous groups and student bodies coming down heavily on him over his controversial comment.
In the context of what the former AAMSU leader had said, it will be pertinent to mention here that Dhubri, over the past many decades, has seen massive influx of people from Bangladesh, so much so that the once Hindu-majority district has become minority-dominated.
Chief Minister’s Sharp Rebuke
Reacting sharply to the development, Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, while coming down heavily on Rezaul Karim Sarkar, questioned Gaurav Gogoi’s silence on the matter.
“If Sivasagar becomes Dhubri, it will no longer be ‘Bor Asom’ (Greater Assam). Congress has surrendered to ‘Miya’ politics and is working on a blueprint to bring Miya settlers into Upper Assam,” the CM stated, further alleged that the Congress party is intentionally compromising the interests of indigenous Assamese people for electoral gains.
Congress Defends, Opposition Hardens
Despite the mounting pressure, senior Congress leaders have stood by Karim Sarkar and his comments. Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia argued that Sarkar’s comments were misinterpreted and that he was actually speaking about the “harmony and integration” of a Greater Assam.
Gaurav Gogoi has also reportedly signaled support for Sarkar, further fueling the anger of local organizations.
State-wide Protests and Ultimatums
The reaction from indigenous socio-political organizations has been swift and fierce.
ATASU general secretary Bhaskar Borgohain and Sivasagar unit president Tapan Chetia warned of a series of protests and agitation against Sarkar and the Congress party in Upper Assam unless he is expelled from the party immediately.
Tai Ahom Yuva Parishad (TYP) president Diganta Tamuli, on the other hand, has given teh Congress a one-week ultimatum to remove Sarkar, claiming the party’s existence in Assam will be at stake otherwise.
All Koch-Rajbongshi Students’ Union (AKRSU) president Diganta Saikia, meanwhile, challenged Gaurav Gogoi to take action “if he has Assamese blood in his veins.”
At Amguri in Sivasagar district, members of the Asomiya Yuva Mancha tied a rope around Rezaul Karim Sarkar’s effigy and dragged it through the streets in a symbolic act of defiance.
Calls for Apology
From Numaligarh to Lakhimpur, various groups including the Bharatiya Chah Mazdoor Sangha and the Bir Lachit Sena have demanded a public apology from Gaurav Gogoi besides seeking the expulsion from the Congress party. Critics argue that by welcoming such rhetoric, the Congress is endangering the “base” of the indigenous people in Upper Assam.
Meanwhile, as the one-week deadline looms, all eyes are on Gaurav Gogoi and the Congress leadership to see if they will distance themselves from Sarkar or face an intensified agitation across the Brahmaputra Valley.
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