CM: There will be no 2nd-class citizens if BJP wins BTC polls

Time of India

3 days ago

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Guwahati: There will be no 'second-class citizens' if BJP forms the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), CM
Himanta Biswa Sarma
said on Sunday.
As he continued the marathon campaign in BTC areas in lower Assam ahead of the upcoming council polls that are likely to be held in Sept, Sarma focused on BJP's own promises rather than criticising Hagrama Mohilary's Bodoland Peoples Front (BPF) and Pramod Boro-led United People's Party Liberal (UPPL) — two other strong contenders in BTC.
While the land rights issue has been of paramount importance in the state amid the recent eviction drives, Sarma, while addressing a rally in Baksa district's Dihira, said every needy family must benefit from the beneficiary schemes of the Centre and state govt, besides having land rights.
"Journalists ask me: who is a first-class citizen and who is a second-class citizen? My answer is: those who have land deeds are first class citizens, but those who do not are second class citizens.
Those who have houses are first-class citizens, but those who do not are second-class citizens," Sarma said.
He added that the differences between first class and second class citizens is also marked by people receiving benefits of the Orunodoi scheme (monthly financial assistance for needy women) or having access to pucca roads.
"If BJP forms govt in BTC, there will be no second-class citizens here. All will be first-class citizens," he said.
Sarma said BTC is for all, including indigenous tribal communities. Everyone will enjoy equal rights and will start thinking of the Bodoland Territorial Region as their own.
"We are not against UPPL or BPF, but we will make BJP victorious this time to resolve the people's issues," said Sarma at a time when the chorus is growing for the unification of UPPL and BPF, which were arch-rivals in BTC.
Though BJP has not finalised in how many of the total 40 council constituencies it will contest, Sarma earlier said that towards the end of August, BJP will finalise the number of seats in which the saffron party will contest the BTC polls, an important election before the 2026 assembly polls.
While asserting that BTC is his top priority, he said that he has visited this once violence-affected region more than 200 times after becoming CM in 2001. Sarma said that the illegal arms in BTR have been returned to the govt. "Time has changed in BTR. No one can dictate voting with guns now, but they have to seek votes with folded hands," Sarma said.
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