GUWAHATI, Nov 22 – BJP national general secretary Vijay Goel on Sunday asserted that the political rights of the citizens of Assam can only be safeguarded when the names of all illegal Bangladeshis are deleted from the Voters List. He demanded of the government to complete this mission before the coming Assembly elections.

Addressing media persons here after the BJP, State executive meet, Goel outlined that political and land rights would be the two themes of BJP’s strategy for the Assembly elections. Speaking of elections, he said that the national party gave the highest priority to Assam and would be organizing its national executive in Guwahati on January 8 and 9 next year. A total of 400 delegates led by national party president Nitin Gadkari will attend the meet.

Goel said that parties who do not raise their voices against the Bangladeshis and their nefarious design are the ‘traitors of the State’. “In 1991, Assam had four Muslim majority districts. In 2001 the number increased to six and in 2011 the State will have 10 Muslim majority districts,” said Goel regretting that despite the alarming demographic changes, the Congress government was sitting idle. He warned that this demographic change has already threatened the existence of the indigenous people, and that this ‘demographic tumour’ would further spread from lower and middle Assam to the rest of the State as well.

It needs to be mentioned here that the State BJP executive today expressed concern over the fact that the State has nearly 80 lakh Muslim population, but out of which only 22 lakh are indigenous Assamese Muslims.

“The final battle of the people of Assam is for their land rights and political rights,” said Goel calling upon the people to stop selling land to suspected Bangladeshi infiltrators. He insisted on stopping the practice of allotting land pattas on char areas as most of the chars are occupied by Bangladeshis. He pointed out that whenever a char is washed away, the inhabitants by virtue of holding pattas become eligible for resettlement on government land. “This is the biggest cause of destruction of Assam’s forest cover,” Goel added accusing that State Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain and Revenue Minister Bhumidhar Barman are colluding to protect the Bangladeshis at the cost of the people of Assam and their rights.

On the other hand, the party will launch a agitation demanding expulsion of Bangladeshis and protection of political and land rights of the indigenous people on December 18 this year. This would be a jail bharao programme and 50,000 party members and supporters will participate in it.