Pathshala (Assam), March 26 Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Thursday that the BJP government will evict encroachers from five lakh bighas of land if it returns to power after the April 9 assembly polls.
Addressing an election rally in the Bajali assembly constituency, Sarma said that the encroachers, most of whom he described as ‘Miya’ (a derogatory term for Bengali-speaking immigrant Muslims), had been taught a lesson over the past five years, and their domination over indigenous communities had "significantly decreased."
"In the last five years, we cleared 1.5 lakh bighas of land, but our target for the next five years will be to free five lakh bighas of encroached government land," he said.
Sarma asserted that only indigenous people will have rights over land in Assam.
"The BJP is committed to protecting ‘Jaati, Maati and Bheti’ (people, land and foundation), and we will not allow anyone to work against this. A firm handling of illegal migrants is essential for the survival of the indigenous population, and we will not compromise on this," he added.
Attacking Congress state president Gaurav Gogoi, Sarma said that his concept of a 'New Bor Asom' (new Greater Assam) is unacceptable because he (Gogoi) is indirectly suggesting that Bangladeshis and the people of the state will have to live together.
"This is a conspiracy by the Congress to dilute Assamese culture and heritage. They associate Ahom General Lachit Barphukan and Bagh Hazarika together, which has no historical basis, and this is unjust to our culture," he said.
According to history books, Bagh Hazarika was a commander in Barphukan's army who fought against the Mughals and defeated them.
Sarma alleged that Gogoi and the Congress have always tried to give more importance to the 'Miyas' over indigenous Assamese.
''We do not want a 'Natun Bor Asom' that sacrifices our sattras, temples, and culture. This concept will further lead to the dominance of Bangladeshis," he added.
Regarding the Congress promise of restoring the original name of the Barpeta Medical College and Hospital, the Chief Minister said it ''won't happen in this lifetime or even in the next seven births''.
It was earlier named after the nation's first Assamese President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, but the state government recently renamed it as Barpeta Medical College and Hospital following a cabinet decision.
Sarma urged voters to support Dharmeswar Roy of the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), describing the party’s alliance with the BJP as inseparable.
"Voting for either the BJP or the AGP is the same. We are like ‘Boondiya-Bhujia’ (Indian sweets and savouries that are eaten together). We go together in the elections and in government," he said.
He also campaigned in neighbouring Barpeta constituency for AGP candidate Dipak Kumar Das, where Congress candidate Mahananda Sarkar’s nomination was rejected.
"I am not happy that the Congress candidate’s nomination has been rejected. The AGP candidate would have won anyway, but we wanted a fight in the constituency," he said.
Elections to the 126 assembly constituencies in Assam will be held on April 9, with counting scheduled for May 4.