HT Correspondent
GOSSAIGAON, July 30: With the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) elections drawing closer, the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) has intensified its campaign activities in the 3 No Srirampur BTC constituency.
As part of its grassroots-level outreach, the party organized a public meeting at Hawriapet village.
The meeting was chaired by former village headman Abul Hossain and attended by several senior BPF leaders and local residents.
Addressing the gathering, Mufti Md Mukibur Rahman raised a number of issues affecting the minority community.
He spoke at length about the eviction of families and appealed to the public not to support the United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) and the BJP, alleging that the two UPPL MPs voted in favour of the Waqf Amendment Bill, which he termed anti-Muslim.
Rahman also criticised the Congress party, claiming that failure to provide land ownership documents during its tenure had contributed to eviction-related hardships.
He urged voters to reject both the Congress and BJP.
BPF Central Organizing Secretary Rafiqul Islam likened the Congress to diabetes and the BJP to high blood pressure, calling both parties detrimental to public interest.
He also cautioned voters against backing independent candidates, arguing that they cause division of votes.
Advocate Mokhlesur Rahman, a probable BPF candidate, alleged that development in the constituency had been uneven, with only selective areas receiving attention.
He asserted that the BPF would form the next BTC government and pledged to prioritise solutions to land, road, and bridge-related issues.
The meeting also featured sharp criticism of the incumbent government by Rafiqul Islam Bhuiya, Secretary of the BPF’s Gossaigaon District Committee. Others present at the meeting included BPF Central Organizing Secretary Rizwan Ahmed, advocates Mafizur Rahman and Ashraful Alam, President of the BPF Srirampur Minority Cell Mujahid Ahmed, Minority Cell Secretary Mazharul Islam, President of Simultapu Primary Committee Aktar Hussain, and BPF Jamduar leader Halimul Islam. A large number of local residents, including women, were also in attendance.