AJP president Lurinjyoti Gogoi slams Assam CM over illegal immigration handling

Guwahati: Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) president Lurinjyoti Gogoi on Wednesday criticised Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s recent warning against selling land to “unknown people,” describing it as a sign of the state government’s failure to address illegal immigration.

Speaking to reporters in Guwahati, Gogoi said, “The Chief Minister keeps talking about unknown people. This only proves he himself does not know who the illegal immigrants are. Even in 2024, the Chief Minister of Assam is clueless.”

He added, “If the CM cannot identify them, cannot remove their names from the voter list, and cannot implement the NRC properly, then what kind of Chief Minister is he? He is a useless Chief Minister.”

Chief Minister Sarma had recently advised Assamese families not to sell land during financial distress, claiming that buyers unfamiliar with the state’s culture could threaten Assam’s language, customs, and identity.

Gogoi said the government’s inability to name or track these individuals demonstrated a lack of effective action. “The ruling BJP has relied on broad statements rather than practical measures to address illegal immigration, voter list cleansing, or proper implementation of the NRC,” he added.

He also criticised the BJP for not fully implementing the Assam Accord, noting that the introduction of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) conflicted with the Accord’s spirit, in his view. Gogoi said, “The government has focused on cultural rhetoric while failing to carry out substantive actions.”

Gogoi said that the public is becoming more informed, and voter decisions may be less influenced by political statements.

Gogoi concluded that the protection of land, identity, and rights of Assam’s indigenous communities requires concrete action.