Silchar: With Assembly elections just six months away, Rajya Sabha MP and Trinamool Congress leader Sushmita Dev has come down heavily on the BJP-led state government over its ongoing eviction drive, alleging that the move is politically motivated and aimed at distracting the public from core issues.

Addressing a protest meeting organised by the Trinamool Congress at the Khudiram Bose statue premises in Silchar on Saturday, Dev said, “The government has been in power for the last ten years. Why did it not act on encroachments before? Why now, so close to the elections?” She claimed the ruling BJP has initiated the eviction drive in panic, sensing a decline in public support.

Dev further alleged that the drive is part of a larger plan to suppress dissent and divert attention from critical problems facing the people, particularly the youth of Barak Valley who, she said, are being systematically denied employment and opportunities. “Despite being elected with Bengali votes, MLAs from Barak remain silent in the Assembly on these burning issues,” she added.

Voicing concern over what she termed growing insecurity among Bengali-speaking citizens across the country, the Trinamool MP remarked, “In several BJP-ruled states, merely speaking Bengali is enough to be labelled a ‘Bangladeshi’. This is nothing but betrayal of the same Bengali voters who brought them to power.”

She also warned of grave consequences in the wake of the upcoming voter list revision and the unresolved controversies surrounding the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). “Even genuine documents may be rendered invalid in the future, leaving lakhs of people vulnerable,” Dev cautioned.

Accusing the BJP of indulging in divisive politics, she said, “This government survives on polarisation. It is poisoning social harmony just to win elections.”

Reaffirming her party’s stand, she declared, “Whether others join or not, Trinamool Congress will continue to resist the BJP’s anti-people policies.” She called upon the people of Barak Valley to unite and raise their voices against the ongoing injustices.

Other Trinamool Congress leaders, including Rajesh Dev, were also present at the meeting and echoed similar concerns, demanding an immediate halt to the eviction drive and urging the public to remain vigilant.

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