Guwahati, May 25 (IANS) In a politically charged speech in the Assam Assembly on Monday, BJP legislator from Dispur Pradyut Bordoloi invoked the state’s pre-Independence history and credited former Chief Minister Gopinath Bordoloi with safeguarding Assam’s identity from being merged with Pakistan during the Partition era.

Pradyut Bordoloi, who had spent decades in the Congress and represented Nagaon as a Congress MP after winning the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, recently switched sides and joined the BJP ahead of the Assembly polls. He subsequently won from the Dispur constituency on a BJP ticket.

Participating in the discussion on the Governor’s address, Bordoloi drew parallels between historical political developments and the BJP government’s present emphasis on protecting Assamese identity and indigenous rights.

Recalling the events surrounding the Cabinet Mission Plan and the Muslim League’s demand for Pakistan based on the two-nation theory, the BJP MLA said Assam was once proposed to be grouped with Bengal, triggering fears that the state could eventually become part of Pakistan.

“Gopinath Bordoloi fought to protect Assam, Assamese identity and the existence of indigenous people when there were attempts to club Assam with East Bengal,” Bordoloi said in the Assembly.

He alleged that while the Assam Congress leadership under Gopinath Bordoloi opposed the grouping proposal, the Congress Working Committee at the national level was willing to compromise Assam’s interests for the sake of Independence.

According to Bordoloi, Gopinath Bordoloi had even indicated his willingness to leave the Congress, if necessary, to continue the struggle for Assam’s interests.

The BJP legislator also referred to Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s “Direct Action” call and claimed that fears over Assam’s future had intensified during that period.

Drawing from his political experience in Nagaon, Bordoloi said memories of slogans and similar sentiments targeting Assam from that era still existed in public discourse.

Without naming any individual directly, he also remarked that some leaders associated with the Muslim League later joined the Congress after Independence and went on to become ministers and legislators.

Bordoloi asserted that Assam remained within India because of the “strong stand” taken by Gopinath Bordoloi and said the present BJP government under Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was similarly committed to protecting indigenous rights, Assamese identity and the state’s cultural heritage.

He urged all members of the Assembly to support the vision outlined in the Governor’s address, particularly on issues related to indigenous protection and preservation of Assamese civilisation and culture.

–IANS

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