Ashini Chetia, former Tai-Ahom leader who joined BJP, passes away in Guwahati

Ashini Chetia, who was a prominent figure in the anti-C(A)B movement that rocked Assam in the early part of 2019, had joined the BJP party later on

Guwahati: Ashini Chetia, a prominent leader of the Tai-Ahom community of Assam passed away after a prolonged battle with cancer late at night on Thursday, July 9 at the Health City Hospital in Guwahati. He is survived by wife and host of relatives.

The untimely death of the regional leader, who had officially joined the ruling BJP party in 2019, has been mourned by several prominent personalities in Assam, including Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

"Saddened to know of the sudden demise of student leader, former ATASU advisor & president and BJP karyakarta Ashini Chetia. Praying for the departed soul, I offer my deepest condolences to his bereaved family members", Sonowal wrote in a tweet, mourning Chetia's demise.

Saddened to know of the sudden demise of student leader, former ATASU advisor & president and @BJP4Assam karyakarta Ashini Chetia.

Praying for the departed soul, I offer my deepest condolences to his bereaved family members. pic.twitter.com/bjbFbPvUOp
— Sarbananda Sonowal (@sarbanandsonwal) July 10, 2020

The former All Assam Tai-Ahom Students' Union (AATASU) leader untimely death was mourned by many. Chetia, a prominent face in upper Assam, was a resident of Sivasagar district in Upper Assam.

It may be recalled that in March of 2019, Ashwini Chetia was formally inducted into the BJP amid much fanfare at State BJP Head Office, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Bhawan, in Hengrabari, Guwahati. A joining programme was organized where state BJP President, Ranjit Kumar Dass and the North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) Convenor, Himanta Biswa Sharma, were present.

Chetia joining the BJP ranks came as a great shock as he had been a vocal critic of the BJP government for trying to pass the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill and spearheaded the anti-citizenship bill protest in Upper Assam in the early months of 2019.

It is believed that Chetia had political aspirations for the upcoming Assembly Polls in Assam, set to be held in 2021. He had previously contested the 2016 polls from the Sivasagar constituency. In the aftermath of the anti-CAB protests, Chetia was apparently assured of a ticket to contest the Sonari Assembly bye-election in case BJP candidate Tapan Gogoi won the MP seat from the Jorhat Lok Sabha constituency (which he did).

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