Assam BJP welcomes wave of new members in grand joining ceremony
Congress, AAP, Raijor Dal members among new faces joining BJP ahead of crucial elections;
Assam leaders during the joining ceremony in Guwahati, on Thursday. (Photo:@jayanta_malla/X)
Guwahati, July 17: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) welcomed a host of new members from diverse political and professional backgrounds at a grand joining ceremony held at the state party headquarters, on Thursday.
Among the prominent new inductees were Manoj Rabha (alias Dristi Rajkhowa), former Assam BJP president Manoj Dhanowar, former All Assam Gorkha Students’ Union president Arjun Chetri, Pradesh Congress vice president Madhurjya Goswami, Raijor Dal state general secretary Nirmal Payeng, advocate Manas Sharania, and former Nagaon District Congress president Prashanta Saikia. Several other individuals from social, political, academic, and cultural fields also joined the BJP.
Welcoming the new members, Dilip Saikia said, “I am BJP. Whether I block the party or the party blocks me, this remains my identity.”
Taking a swipe at the Opposition, Saikia said, “Arjun Chetri has joined today as he sees where the real opportunity lies. Nirmal Payeng, who once aligned with Akhil Gogoi, found it difficult to work with him and chose BJP for a better future.”
He also praised Dhanowar’s contributions in Tinsukia, where he runs a residential school with over 2,000 students.
“Of these, 1,400 live in the hostel, supported by 45 cooperative groups. His team also supports 60 underprivileged children,” Saikia added.
Speaking to the press after the event, Samaguri MLA Diplu Ranjan Sarmah defended the state’s eviction drives.
“Evictions are necessary for the development of state resources. These were carried out even during Gopinath Bordoloi’s time. After our eviction drive in Kaziranga, rhino poaching drastically declined,” he said.
Sarmah also targeted opposition leader Lurinjyoti Gogoi, saying, “The day Lurinjyoti supported Congress during the Bhawanipur bypolls, he lost all public respect.”
Lakhimpur MLA Manab Deka further alleged that Congress has long been complicit in conspiracies against Assam.
“The anti-Assam strategies we face today trace back to Congress’s post-Independence politics. It has shown itself to be a party that thrives on communal division. Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge’s recent visit was nothing but an attempt to provoke unrest,” he alleged.