Jorhat, Oct 14: Thousands of BJP leaders and workers took part in a mass awareness rally in Jorhat on Wednesday, backing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership and Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The rally titled “Jana Jagaran Samadal” and led by Cabinet Ministers Pijush Hazarika and Sushanta Borgohain, along with Rameswar Teli, passed through several parts of the city, drawing a large turnout and disrupting traffic and public activity in some areas.
The BJP organised the rally to oppose protests by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), Congress and the INDIA bloc in Delhi, accusing them of acting against the country’s interests and obstructing its progress.
Participants demanded an SIR to identify and remove the names of alleged foreign nationals and duplicate entries from electoral rolls.
Addressing the gathering, Hazarika alleged that attempts were being made to grant Indian citizenship and voting rights to foreigners, warning that such moves could weaken the country.
“We will not allow this to happen. A section of people is staging protests in Delhi and attempting to malign India’s judicial system, but we will oppose such actions. The people of Assam and India stand with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We need SIR, and foreigners must be removed from Assam’s electoral rolls,” Hazarika said.
Borgohain also accused the Congress and other forces of working against the country’s interests, stressing the need for accurate electoral rolls.
“We are standing against them, and BJP leaders, workers and members are united in this effort. We need SIR to ensure that the electoral rolls are accurate and reflect the correct facts,” he said.
Jorhat MLA Hitendra Nath Goswami defended the BJP’s position on national development and criticised protests over the functioning of the Election Commission.
“PM Modi has been taking India to the global stage, and we have seen world leaders visiting the country. India is emerging as a global power. As a democracy, we hold elections every five years, but there are now questions and protests even before the completion of that period,” Goswami said.
The Jorhat rally followed a similar gathering in Nalbari on Tuesday, where thousands participated in a BJP-organised procession against what the party described as anti-national forces.
Reacting to the Nalbari rally, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma described the turnout as a warning to those allegedly seeking to destabilise the country.
“This isn't a crowd; it's a warning. India's youth won't stay silent while Congress and Dimagi Naxals push their regime-change agenda,” Sarma wrote on a microblogging platform.
On October 12, Sarma had announced peaceful marches in support of democracy at district headquarters across Assam, beginning on October 13.
The BJP said the rallies are intended to oppose what it described as “undemocratic” forces seeking to bring about regime change in the country.