By Bhupen Goswami

Guwahati :As Assamese and Bengali nationalist organizations are heading for a showdown, post Puja, as per scripted by the BJP in its just concluded State Executive at Majuli, the BJP National president Amit Shah descended late last night to take stock of the situation. This morning he left for Aizawal for booth level meeting in the Christian dominated state after marathon strategic meeting with the BJP and RSs honchos. The Bengali nationalist forces have been backed by the ruling party and the Assamese nationalist forces have been coming together with ULFA and Congress coming to that pole. Both the AASU and KMSS are playing a pivotal but rival role and both the groups are trying to bring others with them. On the one side all Bengali and non Assamsese speaking population and its organizations are with BJP. On the other hand Assamese nationalist organizations and the Congress are in one side. This is a peculiar position and two stalwarts of Assam’s political sky, Dr Nagen Saikia and three time Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi are of the opinion that this is going to be the darkest period of Assamsese in its history. The BJP has backed the Bengali organizations to the hilt and they are ganging up and organizing a mega rally on November 17. The official objective of the rally is to tell majority Assamese from one platform that the citizenship Amendment Bill is no threat to Assam and Hindu Bangladeshi shall come to India.

But the rally has been viewed as direct provocation and challenge to the Assamese sub nationalism, which is represented by the likes of AASU and AGP. Even the Congress is also veering into this position. This November 17 Bengali rally has polarized Assam in two camps- Bengali and Assamese, something the BJP is experimenting with a clear road map. The BJP wants to taste its own strength with this stand. They feel that with a huge beneficiary section from the mainstream Assamese section, the Bengalis and non Assamese voters would place them around 25-30% per cent of voters in the upcoming Panchayat poll. The BJP has decided to alienate AGP in the Panchayat poll. If BJP does well and go past 30% vote share, the BJP may drop AGP permanently in the Lok Sabha but if it stays below 30% vote share in the Panchyat Poll, then the AGP alliance would be revived. But as of now the BJP won’t mind to see the back of the AGP. However Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president Amit Shah on Wednesday morning visited the Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati before proceeding to Mizoram to kick off the saffron party’s campaign for the November 28 Assembly elections in the State. In a tweet on his official Twitter handle, the BJP national president wrote: ‘Blessed to have prayed at the Maa Kamakhya devi shaktipeeth in Guwahati today on Durga Ashtami.Shah is scheduled to address the statewide booth level workers of Mizoram BJP unit at R Dengthuama Indoor Stadium in Aizawl on Wednesday. Amit Shah will also inaugurate the new state BJP office, Atal Bhavan in Aizawl later in the day. The BJP national president will also induct Dr Buddha Dhan Chakma, a ruling Congress legislator who resigned from the State Assembly on Tuesday at the booth level workers meeting in the presence of BJP election in charge for Mizoram and Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Nagaland Deputy Chief Minister Y Patton and several other leaders from the BJP ruled states of the Northeast are expected to attend the meeting in Aizawl on Wednesday. Mizoram is the only state in the entire Northeast where Congress is still holding the reins of power. The BJP is trying hard to make inroads in Mizoram with this election for the 40-member Legislative Assembly slated for November 28 next.’