Barak Democratic Front responds to APCC President's comments on Himanta regarding Barak Valley's separation from Assam

In a recent visit to Barak Valley, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) President Bhupen Borah made statements accusing the Chief Minister of instigating the issue of Barak separatism and engaging in divisive politics. He urged the people of Barak not to be misled by such claims. In response to these comments, the Barak Democratic Front (BDF) has issued a rebuttal.

Speaking in front of reporters at the BDF office, Chief Convener of BDF, Pradip Dutta Roy, expressed doubts over how the Chief Minister’s statement on separation could be termed as a conspiracy. He pointed out that if the majority of Barak residents genuinely desire secession then the government should not object to it. Therefore, labelling it as a conspiracy is unjustified.

Dutta Roy went on to highlight the role of the Congress party in fostering divisive politics in Assam. He pointed out that states like Meghalaya, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland were carved out of Assam due to one-sided ethnic politics of Congress. He argued that if the Assam Pradesh Congress didn’t encourage ethnic politics then Assam might not have been fragmented. Additionally, he mentioned various autonomous councils established during the Congress era, such as the Bodo Territorial Councils, Dima Hasao and Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council, suggesting that the Assam Congress President should refrain from commenting on matters of separatism.

Dutta Roy further asserted that the Assam Congress President had no right to interfere in the decisions taken by the Barak Valley residents, as they have been historically deprived the most during Congress rule. He mentioned instances where the Congress government had neglected the interests of Barak, including the controversial language circular of 1961 and the order to fire at the Bengali language martyrs. Despite getting green signal from the Railway Ministry, the renaming of Silchar Station to Bhasa Sahid Railway Station was intentionally freezed by the former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. Due to efforts of late MP Santosh Mohan Dev, 1000 crore rupees was allotted by the DoNeR ministry for Barak which got re-allocated to Brahmaputra Valley again due to Tarun Gogoi’s influence.

Dutta Roy blamed the Congress for their conspiracy which led to the construction of NEIGRIHMS in Shillong instead of Silchar that was previously planned. Tarun Gogoi had appealed to former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee for changing the starting point of East-West corridor to Sadia instead of Silchar. The construction of 31 km Balacherra-Harangajao stretch of the East-West corridor was immorally stopped for 4 years by giving the excuse of reserved forest. The Congress also intentionally delayed the construction of broad gauge for 14 long years. Dutta Roy emphasised that these obstacles were eventually overcome during the BJP government’s rule, which Barak residents appreciated despite their reservations about the BJP.

In conclusion, Dutta Roy suggested that Bhupen Borah’s comments about Barak were politically motivated, and the people of Barak Valley were well aware of the historical context surrounding the issue.

In a separate statement, Joydeep Bhattacharjee, BDF Media Cell Chief Convener, criticised some BJP leaders in Brahmaputra Valley for maligning BDF members who called for the separation of Barak. He raised concerns about the rejection of land conversion applications for Bengalis living in ceiling khas land, despite their long-standing presence in Assam. The reason was given that they could not produce documents to prove their habitation in Assam for the last 75 years or 3 generations though they are all valid citizens and have been residing in Assam prior to 1971. The Clause 6 of Assam Accord gives the provision to secure land rights for Bhumiputras. However, Bhattacharjee argued that the definition of Bhumiputra was not yet decided.

Hrishikesh Dey, Convener of BDF Media Cell, conveyed these statements in a press release on behalf of the Barak Democratic Front.