The Bhumi Adhikar Party (Land Rights Party) has strongly criticised recent remarks made by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to the media regarding eviction drives in the hills of Guwahati. Party leaders alleged that the Chief Minister’s statement — that eviction notices would be served to “Miyas” and not to indigenous Assamese hill residents — was an attempt to polarise voters and secure the support of indigenous hill communities ahead of elections. Addressing a press conference at the party office in Sorusajai, party president Prabin Jyoti Kalita accused the Chief Minister of indulging in “divisive politics” over the issue of land pattas for landless families who have been living in various hill areas of Guwahati for generations.
“We have come to know through media reports that the Chief Minister is once again trying to win the votes of indigenous hill residents with false promises before the elections,” Kalita said. The party questioned why, if eviction is not intended, land patta applications of indigenous hill dwellers have been rejected under the Basundhara 2.0 and 3.0 schemes. Kalita pointed out that families living for decades across 366 notified hill areas of Guwahati have seen their applications rejected on grounds such as landslide-prone (landslide) or non-convertible (NC) land classifications. “If there is truly no plan to evict hill residents after the elections, then the government should immediately revoke the rejected applications and begin issuing land pattas before the polls,” Kalita demanded.
He further alleged that merely announcing before the media that Assamese residents would not be evicted until elections, while continuing to deny them legal land rights, was misleading the public. The party accused the Chief Minister of attempting to divert attention by selectively targeting one community while keeping indigenous residents in uncertainty. The Bhumi Adhikar Party demanded: Revocation of the Cabinet decision barring land pattas in landslide-prone areas, withdrawal of restrictions on granting pattas in NC (non-convertible) land reconsideration of areas in the plains that have allegedly been wrongly marked as landslide-prone. Party vice-president Ramen Baruah and spokesperson Pradip Kalita were also present at the press conference.
