Bengali Parishad seeks cabinet representation for Bengalis in Brahmaputra Valley

OUR CORRESPONDENT

HAFLONG: The Dima Hasao district committee of the Bengali Parishad Assam has appealed to the Assam Government to include at least one Bengali MLA from the Brahmaputra Valley in the State Cabinet, stressing the need for fair political representation of the Bengali-speaking community in the region.

In a press release issued on Wednesday, the organisation stated that Bengali leaders from the Brahmaputra Valley had historically held important positions in the Assam Government during the Congress era. It cited the contributions of leaders such as Sadhan Ranjan Sarkar, Dr Ardhendu Kumar Dey of Hojai, Debesh Chakraborty of Lumding, who later served as Deputy Speaker and Speaker of the Assam Legislative Assembly, Gopinath Das of Boko, and Chandan Sarkar of Abhayapuri South.

The Parishad, however, pointed out that no Bengali MLA from the Brahmaputra Valley has been inducted into the State Cabinet during the tenure of successive BJP governments. According to the organisation, this has led to concerns among the Bengali Hindu population regarding adequate political representation.

The organisation claimed that the Bengali Hindu population in the Brahmaputra Valley exceeds 4.5 million and that a large section of the community has consistently supported the BJP in elections. It alleged that despite this support, issues such as D-Voter cases, challenges related to Mission Basundhara, and various socio-economic and administrative concerns continue to affect the community.

Bengali Parishad Assam stated that the inclusion of a Bengali minister from the Brahmaputra Valley would help address these issues more effectively.

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