Won’t tolerate ‘Bihar Diwas’ celebration in Assam: ULFA(I)

Paresh Baruah. File
| Photo Credit: Special arrangement

GUWAHATi

The outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent) headed by Paresh Baruah has warned the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled government and Hindi speakers against organising a ‘Bihar Diwas’ in eastern Assam’s Tinsukia town.

About 470 km east of Guwahati, Tinsukia has a large population of Hindi speakers, mostly from Bihar and Jharkhand. The town is the commercial hub of much of the eastern half of the northeast.

The decision to organise the event dedicated to Bihar on March 22 was reportedly made at a meeting of local BJP leaders in Tinsukia a few days ago.

“The move by (BJP) legislators Suren Phukan (Digboi constituency) and Sanjoy Kishan (Tinsukia) is an attack on the culture, heritage, and pride of the indigenous people. We will not tolerate the celebration of Bihar Diwas by outsiders,” a statement from ULFA(I) spokesperson Ishan Asom read. The outfit said defying its diktat would invite “serious consequences.”

Organisations such as the All Assam Students’ Union, All Tai Ahom Students’ Union, and All Moran Students’ Union have also asked the organisers to desist from holding the programme.

Tinsukia and much of eastern Assam beyond have been a fertile ground for the BJP since the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. Tea plantation workers and other Adivasis originally from central India, Hindi speakers and Hindu Bengalis form a major chunk of voters along with the indigenous communities, specifically the Ahoms, Morans and Mataks seeking Scheduled Tribe status.

The BJP is believed to be under pressure in eastern Assam since the 2024 Lok Sabha polls when Gaurav Gogoi of the Congress wrested the Jorhat constituency and candidates of the Congress-led Opposition alliance put up a spirited fight in three other seats in this part of the State.