BJP supporters at the party office in Guwahati
GUWAHATI: If the 2016 election revolved around Narendra Modi and his vow to free the state of infiltrators, the 2021 election was all about the identity of Assamese and indigenous people. Development and employment were lesser issues.
Assam, except the Bengali-inhabited Barak Valley, erupted in protests in December 2019 when the Centre passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill. Five people were killed in the protests and numerous others were injured in the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) protests that sparked a chain reaction across the Brahmaputra Valley.
Leading organizations like the All Assam Students’ Union (Aasu), Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) and Asam Sahitya Sabha expressed solidarity with the protesters to safeguard the indigenous identity for months till the pandemic brought protests to a grinding halt in March next year. The identity of the Assamese and other indigenous people took centrestage when the moment