Guwahati (Assam) [India], August 3 (ANI): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday launched a scathing attack on Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, calling him 'anti-Indian and a traitor.'

'Rahul Gandhi is an anti-Indian person. Rahul Gandhi is only with Bangladeshi and Pakistani Muslims. He is not with Indian Hindus and Indian Muslims,' the Assam Chief Minister told reporters in Tamulpur while he took part in a BJP's election campaign meeting for the upcoming Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) election.

The Assam Chief Minister further said, 'Rahul Gandhi is a traitor of India.'

On the other hand, Assam State BJP has affirmed that the ongoing eviction drives being carried out across various districts of the state including Dhubri, Goalpara, and Golaghat were having a transformative impact on the social dynamics of the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR).

In a press release issued from the party's State headquarters at Atal Bihari Vajpayee Bhawan, BJP State spokesperson Ranjib Kumar Sharma asserted that the government's campaign to reclaim encroached public land had evolved from a legal initiative into a mass social movement, drawing widespread support from indigenous communities.

According to Sharma, this shift was prominently visible on August 2 in Udalguri district, where thousands of local residents were seen gathering in various parts of the district to welcome Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma during his visit to attend the 'Vijay Sankalp Sabha,' organised by the district BJP unit.

The event, held under the slogan 'BJP for Progressive BTR,' formed part of the party's pre-election outreach programme ahead of the BTR polls scheduled for September.

'Residents were reported to have qued in the roads along the Chief Minister's route from the Khalingduar constituency to Mangaldoi, offering garlands, gamochas, and enthusiastic greetings. Many reportedly urged the Chief Minister to extend the ongoing eviction operations to certain parts of BTR as well. Large crowds gathered at key junctions such as Balipara and Khairapara on the Kalaigaon-Bengmari route, where they were said to have expressed their endorsement of the government's policy and appealed for continued action against encroachments, particularly targeting settlements identified as being occupied by the illegal encroachers. In an unusual but symbolic show of unity, members of the local Muslim community in Mangaldoi, known as the hometown of Assam's Language Movement martyr Mozammil Hoque, were reported to have joined the public assemblage,' said in the statement.

The statement added that a group led by popular singer and comedian Bulbul Hussain in the Nagrijuli area had briefly halted the Chief Minister's convoy to express support for the eviction campaign and call for further intensification.

The Assam State BJP spokesperson further stated that similar pro-eviction demonstrations were now being witnessed across other parts of the state, including Dhemaji, Sivasagar, and Jorhat, where citizens had taken to the streets in what he described as spontaneous, unprecedented mass gatherings.

Sharma remarked that while street protests typically arise in opposition to government policies, this time people were coming forward to endorse the administration's actions and identify themselves with its decisions. The BJP has reportedly begun strengthening its organisational base across all five BTR districts, launching a series of 'Vijay Sankalp Sabhas' from 2 August.

The campaign is being spearheaded by Chief Minister Sarma and State BJP President and Member of Parliament, Dilip Saikia. As per the schedule released by the party, meetings were held on 2 August in Khalingduar and Muduibari-Harisinga constituencies in Udalguri district, followed by similar events on 3 August in Darangajuli, Nagrijuli, and Shuklai-Serfang areas of Tamulpur district.

On 5 August, the campaign will continue in Thuribari, Subaijhar, and Manas-Serfang constituencies in Chirang district, while on 4 August, Mushalpur and Mathanguri in Baksa will host the sabhas.

Additional events are scheduled in Dihira and Koklabari on 10 August, with Kokrajhar district set to hold meetings in all 12 of its council constituencies on 7, 12, and 19 August.

The party believes the campaign is building momentum ahead of the BTR elections, with BJP leaders describing the public response as a significant mandate in favour of continued evictions and broader governance reforms. (ANI)