Assam BJP president and MP Dilip Saikia stated that the party chose not to observe the Bihar-specific day to avoid hurting local sentiments.
Assam BJP president and MP Dilip Saikia stated that the party chose not to observe the Bihar-specific day to avoid hurting local sentiments.
Guwahati: Facing growing protests and opposition, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday announced that it had dropped its plan to celebrate ‘Bihar Diwas’ in eastern Assam’s Tinsukia on March 22. The decision follows objections from regional political parties, community-based organizations, and the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent) [ULFA(I)].
Assam BJP president and MP Dilip Saikia stated that the party chose not to observe the Bihar-specific day to avoid hurting local sentiments. However, he pointed out that states like Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Nagaland have celebrated ‘Assam Diwas’ in the past.
He explained, “The day for Bihar was to be celebrated as ‘Sneh Milan Utsav’ (Festival of Affection and Togetherness) as part of the BJP’s ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ initiative, aimed at promoting national unity. However, we decided to cancel the Tinsukia programme following opposition from certain sections.”
Mr. Saikia added that the event would now be observed in other parts of Assam instead.
The announcement came despite Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s statement that opposition to the ‘Bihar Diwas’ celebrations reflected communal hatred.
“When a day for Assam can be celebrated in other states, we should ideally reciprocate. Such antipathy and narrow-mindedness could deter investors,” he remarked, emphasizing the broader impact of such attitudes on Assamese people studying and working in other parts of India.
Opposition’s Reaction
Opposition party Raijor Dal strongly opposed the celebration, linking it to the BJP’s vote-bank politics.
Raijor Dal chief and MLA Akhil Gogoi stated, “We oppose the BJP and its government’s decision to celebrate ‘Bihar Diwas’ in Assam. There is no meaning in celebrating it here. We have never seen Bihar celebrating ‘Assam Diwas’.”
He alleged that the BJP was leading the event to gain the votes of Hindi-speaking people.
Referring to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the deaths of five people in Assam during anti-CAA protests, Mr. Gogoi accused the Assam Chief Minister of insulting Assamese sentiments by supporting the event.
“I want to tell the Chief Minister that there is no need to celebrate Bihar Diwas in Assam,” he asserted.
Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) President Lurinjyoti Gogoi also warned the BJP-led government against imposing the culture of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh on Assam.
Mr. Gogoi told reporters, “Ever since the BJP came to power, it has been trying to impose the language and culture of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh on Assam. This is part of the BJP-RSS agenda of ‘One Nation, One Language, One Religion,’ aimed at weakening Assamese language and traditions.”
He further alleged that Bihar and Uttar Pradesh’s political culture of violence and corruption was already being introduced in Assam under Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s leadership.
However, he clarified that the Assamese people do not hold any resentment toward the languages and cultures of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Instead, they have always maintained a brotherly attitude toward other Indian cultures.
“But we cannot sacrifice our own language and culture in the name of generosity,” he said.
He also expressed concern over census data showing a steady decline in the percentage of Assamese-speaking people in the state over the past several decades.
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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