SILCHAR : Barak Valley is gradually gearing up for big protest against the draft delimitation as even the ruling party has reacted sharply against the proposal made by the Election Commission to chop off two assembly segments as well as to reserve Silchar Lok Sabha seat for the SC community. A day after Barak Valley BJP Co-ordination Committee’s meeting in Silchar, Karimganj chapter of the ruling party on Friday decided to meet Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and state president Bhabesh Kalita to apprise them about the mass resentment against the draft. Silchar Congress, on the other hand, asked the BJP legislators to resign from Lok Sabha and Assembly and the opposition MLAs would follow them. Meanwhile, Barak Democratic Front (BDF) in a press meet on Friday called Barak bandh on June 30 and asked the people to rise above their political affiliation as well as religious identity to register protest against such scheme to weaken the Bengali speaking valley.
On Thursday, an emergent meeting of the Cachar BJP was held in a hotel where MP Dr Rajdeep Roy reportedly confessed that he was virtually in dark about the proposed draft. Speakers ranging from district unit president to Block level office bearers vehemently opposed the draft labelling it as ‘ anti Barak’ and ‘anti Bengali’. Few of them even said that it was Barak Valley where the foundation of the BJP was first laid in the entire northeast. “Why there was no Bengali Hindu member in the committee which has finalized the draft in the state Assembly,” raising this question a few pointed fingers at Kausik Rai, the Hindi speaking MLA from Lakhipur, who was absent in the meeting.
Later the coordination committee meeting, attended by district presidents of Hailakandi and Karimganj were present, decided to meet Sarma and Kalita. BJP leaders said, presently there were 75 lakh Bengli Hindus in Assam out of which 66 lakhs were voters. But the State level Delimitation Committee headed by Minister Ashok Singhal had ignored the interest of the Hindu Bengalis.
On Friday, the Karimganj BJP in a separate meeting had also decided to meet the Chief Minister. However they had significantly distanced themselves from the co-ordination committee. The Cachar Congress on Friday in a press meet lambasted the Chief Minister alleging that had intentionally schemed against the Bengalis.
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