Guwahati: A significant political storm has engulfed the Assam Legislative Assembly, with opposition Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) vehemently demanding a formal condemnation motion against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament (MP) Sudhanshu Trivedi.
This demand stems from Trivedi’s controversial statement in the Rajya Sabha, where he referred to Dhubri district in Assam as a “mini Bangladesh.”
The call for the condemnation motion was spearheaded by Debabrata Saikia, the leader of the Opposition and a prominent figure in the Indian National Congress. Saikia, addressing the assembly on Friday, March 21, expressed profound outrage over Trivedi’s remarks, stating, “He has insulted the entire state of Assam. How can we tolerate it? The assembly must adopt a condemnation motion against him.” The opposition’s stance underscores the gravity of the situation and the perceived affront to the state’s integrity.
The controversy originated from Sudhanshu Trivedi’s speech in the Rajya Sabha, where he addressed concerns regarding voter duplication and the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC). In his address, Trivedi made the contentious remark about Dhubri, linking it to the ongoing debate over the NRC. He posited, “The opposition always speaks about voter duplication, but before that, they must clarify the issue of citizen duplication. Why don’t they agree to NRC? The issue will be resolved. When they claim doubts over voters, then why not NRC?”
Further exacerbating the situation, Trivedi connected his statement to the recent Rajya Sabha elections, where Congress leader Rakibul Hussain achieved a landslide victory from Dhubri, securing over 10 lakh votes. “Our colleagues from Assam call Dhubri a mini-Bangladesh, and that is why NRC is not being conducted. But they will still raise concerns over voter duplication,” Trivedi stated, thereby directly linking the electoral outcome to his contentious characterization of the district. The opposition’s demand for a condemnation motion reflects the intense political backlash and the heightened sensitivity surrounding issues of identity and citizenship in Assam.