OUR CORRESPONDENT
BONGAIGAON: Union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit Chatipur area of Chirang district on Thursday, not to attend any government programme but to visit Ananta Ray Maharaj, the founder of the Greater Kochbehar People's Association.
As per information, he will have lunch in Ananta Ray Maharaj's home. The security throughout the area has been beefed up.
Ananta Ray Maharaj said that there was nothing political about this visit. "We have a personal good relationship and hence he is coming. We will talk about the burning issues of the Koch-Rajbanshi people like development and separate state but it will not be a political discussion."
This visit is being seen as a move of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to grab the votes of the Koch Rajbanshi community in the Bengal election. Ananta Ray Maharaj is a religious priest of Sib Chandi religion of the Koch Rajbanshi community. He has good control over the Koch-Rajbanshi voters of West Bengal.