Biswajit Daimary's journey from a son of mahout to become Assembly speaker

GUWAHATI: Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Biswajit Daimary has been unanimously elected as the Speaker of the 15th Assam Legislative Assembly on Friday.

Though it seems easy to be elected unanimously twice, once as a Rajya Sabha MP and the second time as an Assembly speaker in the span of less than a year, Daimary's journey towards it was not a bed of roses.

Born into a family of 8, Biswajit Daimary was the youngest among the six children, who did not born with a silver spoon in his mouth and yet dreamt of doing big not only for himself but for society as well.

Biswajit Daimary born to Suren Daimary, who was a mahout, and his mother Fedab Daimary was a homemaker. The family was solely dependent on agriculture. Hence to support the family financially his brother started selling tea at a stall in Naokata, and Daimary, who had started going to Suagpur Government School, also used to help him with washing glasses and cleaning tables, etc.

He belonged to a family which was living from hand to mouth, a family that had spent the night on empty stomachs, had to search for a place in the neighborhood to sleep because they did not have enough space at their small hut to accommodate 8 members of the family.

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Biswajit Daimary had cleared his matriculation examination from Naokata Milan High School in 1988. By the time he had joined college, he had developed an immense interest in student politics.

Daimary took active participation in the 'Divide Assam 50:50' movement in Rawta led by All Bodo Student Union in 1988 demanding a separate Bodoland.

According to Naokata Milan Higher Secondary School principal Rabiram Brahma, Dairmary used to hold the position of Secretary at East Defeli Regional Committee of All Bodo Student Union.

Biswajit Daimary's brother had informed that due to his active participation in the movement, Biswajit Daimary was one of the most wanted of Assam police.

Later, Biswajit Daimary entered into active politics and contested from Tamulpur constituency as an Independent candidate in Assam assembly polls, 2001 and won from there.

In 2003, Biswajit Daimary joined regional party Bodoland People's Front formed by Hagrama Mahilary after accordance with BLT. Daimary was then twice elected as Rajya Sabha MP from BPF.

BPF leader Biswajit Daimary built a good relationship with then Congress leader Himanta Biswa Sarma and forced a tie between both the parties with the help of Sarma.

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Later, when Sarma left Congress and joined BJP, Daimary helped BPF to ally with BJP as well and they went to assembly polls together in 2016 and breached Congress bastion Assam.

Biswajit Daimary's speech at parliament for the well-being of the Northeastern region of India made him a star politician overnight and he earned the title of 'Roaring Tiger'.

Dairmary's relationship with the BPF took a turn and dampened when he had some arguments with the other party members over constructing a Bodo Kachari Autonomous Development Council for the Bodo people living outside the BTAD.

When that dampen turned into a crack between the two, Daimary finally left BPF and joined hands with the BJP on November 22, 2020, in the presence of Himanta Biswa Sarma.

It was indeed a long journey for a son of a mahout coming from a family whose grim days were never-ending to become the speaker of the 15th Assam Legislative Assembly today.

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