Will protect identity of Assam: Nadda

SILCHAR: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president JP Nadda on Monday assured the people of Assam that their party would protect the state’s culture, language and identity.

Nadda was addressing a Vijay Sankalpa (Victory Pledge) rally at police parade ground in Barak Valley’s Silchar ahead of the next assembly polls in the state likely to be held in AprilMay. Chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, state BJP president Ranjeet Kumar Dass, senior minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, and senior party leaders like general secretary (organisation) BL Santosh and state in-charge Baijayant Jay Panda were present at the rally.

“The task of protecting Assam’s culture, language and identity has been done well by the BJP governments at the Centre and the state and we will continue that. We have been sensitive about the rights of Assamese people,” said Nadda.

The BJP president’s assurance comes amid launch of several new regional parties in the state which have accused the saffron party of not being sincere in safeguarding Assam’s ‘jaati’ (community), ‘maati’ (land) and ‘bheti’ (base) as promised earlier.

Nadda targeted the Congress and said that Assam didn’t do well on any front in the 15 years of rule of the party between 2001 and 2016. “During those 15 years, the state saw killings of 2,155 civilians and 284 security personnel and over 12,000 people were kidnapped. Over 51% area of the state was not covered by electrification and 56% homes didn’t have toilets. All that has changed in the recent years,” he said.

Nadda said voters were eager to bring back BJP to power and the party, along with its allies, will win over 100 of the 126 total seats in the assembly.