BJP accuses Gaurav Gogoi of pursuing ‘New Greater Assam’ agenda with Miya community

The Assam Pradesh BJP on January 23 launched a sharp attack on Congress President Gaurav Gogoi, accusing him of attempting to build a “new Greater Assam” dominated by the Miya community, allegedly at the cost of Assam’s historical and cultural foundations.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP state headquarters, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Bhavan, party spokesperson Jayanta Kumar Goswami alleged that Gaurav Gogoi’s political journey has been influenced by the ideology propagated by Miya leader Rezaul Karim. Goswami claimed that this narrative negates the concept of Greater Assam established by Ahom king Swargadeo Chaolung Sukapha, who unified seven kingdoms, and by Srimanta Sankardeva, the revered saint who fostered social and cultural unity across communities.

Goswami recalled that Rezaul Karim, after joining the Congress in the past, had allegedly threatened from a party platform that indigenous-dominated regions such as Sivasagar would be transformed into Miya-dominated areas like Dhubri. Although Rezaul Karim later quit the Congress, Goswami alleged that Gaurav Gogoi has continued to carry forward the same ideological message.

Questioning Gogoi’s political stance, the BJP spokesperson said the party believes in the Greater Assam envisioned by Swargadeo Chaolung Sukapha, who united diverse communities and resisted Mughal expansion, and by Srimanta Sankardeva, who built a culturally cohesive society transcending caste and community divisions. Goswami further referred to Sankardeva’s role in integrating Chand Sai into the Neo-Vaishnavite faith as an example of cultural assimilation rooted in Assamese values.

He further alleged that Gaurav Gogoi’s vision of a “new Greater Assam” includes alliances with Miya youth leaders who have reportedly demanded reservation of 48 Assembly constituencies exclusively for the Miya community. According to the BJP, such demands pose a threat to the social harmony and political balance of the state.

The statement was issued through an official press release by BJP state spokesperson Jayanta Kumar Goswami.