SILCHAR : Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev has demanded that Bengali residents of Barak Valley who have been living there for three generations be officially declared Khilonjiya (indigenous residents) by the Assam Government.

Addressing a press conference in Silchar on Thursday, Sushmita accused Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma of engaging in vote-bank politics. She said that while the CM speaks in favour of Bengalis when visiting Barak, he changes his tone outside the valley.

She alleged that Bengali-speaking people are being selectively targeted and labeled as Bangladeshi nationals, with some even being deported via special flights from Silchar Airport. She also accused the government of forcibly evicting people in the name of land acquisition for projects like Adani’s solar initiative, and later terming them as illegal infiltrators.

Dev slammed the CM for failing to fulfill his promises regarding resolving the D-voter issue and providing land to pre-1971 settlers. She called his rhetoric “anti-Bengali” and accused him of being silent when Bengali culture and language are disrespected in the Brahmaputra Valley.

Highlighting the marginalization of Bengalis, she pointed out that only one Bengali minister sits in the state cabinet with limited power, and that even MPs from Barak are sidelined.

She warned that if the continuous neglect and humiliation of Bengalis persist, people across religions will be forced to reconsider their political stance.

Sushmita also raised concerns about possible voter list revisions in Assam similar to the controversial ones in Bihar, which she fears could once again put Bengali citizenship under question. Rajesh Dev and Nandan Das were also present at the press conference.

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