Akhil Gogoi accuses Himanta of 'illegal pushback drama', says Bangladesh issue needs bilateral solution

Raijor Dal chief and Sibsagar MLA Akhil Gogoi on July 14 launched a sharp attack on Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over the state's pushback of alleged illegal Bangladeshi nationals, claiming the exercise has "no legal validity" and accusing the BJP government of turning a "non-issue into a political issue."

Addressing reporters, Gogoi alleged that the chief minister was using the pushback issue to keep the illegal immigration debate alive without establishing any legal mechanism to deport undocumented migrants.

"Himanta Biswa Sarma is such a person who makes a non-issue into an issue. The issue of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants can only be resolved through talks with Bangladesh. Till date, the Assam government has not held any bilateral discussion with its counterpart, nor has any mechanism been created to push back illegal Bangladeshis," Gogoi said.

He claimed that while illegal immigration remains a major concern in Assam, the government's "pushback strategy" lacked legal backing.

"The chief minister has found a duplicate way to fuel this issue through a 'pushback' strategy, which has no legal validity. I demand that the Government of India immediately hold discussions with Bangladesh and arrive at an agreement. As a country of India's stature, we should ensure Bangladesh takes back all illegal Bangladeshi nationals detained in India," he added.

Turning to the long-pending demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for six communities in Assam, Gogoi reminded Prime Minister Narendra Modi of his 2016 election promise made at a rally in Bongaigaon.

"It is now 2026, and 11 years have passed since Prime Minister Modi promised ST status to the Tai Ahom, Chutia, Moran, Matak, Koch-Rajbongshi and Tea Tribes (Adivasi) communities. I want to remind the Prime Minister of that promise," he said.

Rejecting the government's stand that a committee was examining the matter, Gogoi argued that no further committee was required.

"In 2019, a Bill was already introduced to grant Scheduled Tribe status to these communities without any hurdle. The government should simply bring that Bill and fulfil its promise," he said.

Commenting on education activist Sonam Wangchuk's hunger strike, Gogoi expressed concern over his deteriorating health and urged the Centre to intervene.

"Wangchuk's condition has deteriorated. Indians do not want anything unfortunate to happen to him. If something happens, it will create unrest across the country," he said.

Gogoi also demanded that Prime Minister Modi initiate talks with the concerned stakeholders and called for the removal of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, alleging repeated examination paper leaks.

"I demand that the Prime Minister hold discussions with the concerned parties, remove Dharmendra Pradhan as Union Education Minister, ensure that examination papers are not leaked, and stop playing with the future of India's students," he said.