Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) Chief Lurinjyoti Gogoi raised concerns on Thursday about the potential influx of Bangladeshis into Assam, amidst the ongoing political unrest in Bangladesh.
Gogoi claimed that during the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in 2019, he and other student leaders had warned that illegal Bangladeshis could enter Assam through the open border.
"Given the current situation in Bangladesh, thousands of people are waiting to enter Assam. It's not just Hindus, but Muslims as well. Especially those associated with the Hasina group are facing persecution. The central government must take strict action to ensure that not a single Bangladeshi enters Assam. The state can no longer bear the burden of illegal Bangladeshis who arrived after 1971," Gogoi stated in a media interaction.
Gogoi also commented on the recent flood crisis in Guwahati, criticizing Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for allegedly deflecting responsibility. He accused the Chief Minister of targeting minority communities by blaming them for the flooding.
"He [Chief Minister Sarma] wants to scapegoat the minority community in the name of the flood crisis, which is why he blamed the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM) for the recent floods in Guwahati. The owner of USTM belongs to a minority community, and the Chief Minister has used this to shift blame. Additionally, he accused the owner of Delhi Public School (DPS) of being responsible for the floods due to a business conflict. This kind of behavior from the Chief Minister during such a crisis is unacceptable," Gogoi added.
The AJP leader also urged the Assam government to remove Assam Housing & Urban Affairs Minister Ashok Singhal from the council of ministers.
