Himanta tears into BTC, calls it a ‘catfish eating up all schemes’ at mega rallies in BTR

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaAugust 20, 2025

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday launched a blistering attack on the UPPL-led Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), alleging deep-rooted corruption and comparing its Village Council Development Committees (VCDCs) to a “catfish swallowing all schemes meant for the poor.”

Addressing two massive Vijay Sankalp Sabhas at Kachugaon and Gossaigaon ahead of the BTC elections, Sarma accused the BTC administration of blocking Central and State welfare schemes in the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR).

“Since the BJP came to power at the Centre and in Assam, not a single bullet has been fired in BTR in the past four years. Yet, poor people here are still denied land pattas, Orunodoi benefits, PMAY houses, and toilets. In other parts of Assam, the poor are receiving these benefits, but not in BTR. This must change,” he declared at the Kachugaon High School playground.

Sarma alleged that nothing moves in BTR without bribery: “Funds from the Centre and State are meant for the poor, not for VCDC agents and middlemen. For a simple PMAY house, people are forced to appease the VCDC. This shop of corruption must be shut down.”

He stressed that the BJP holds no hostility toward either BPF or UPPL but insisted that “every poor family must get government benefits without paying a single rupee.”

Highlighting peace in the region, Sarma reminded the crowd that surrendered arms and demobilised youth have transformed the political atmosphere: “Earlier, guns decided elections in BTR. Today, parties seek votes with folded hands, not at gunpoint. This is the change BJP has brought.”

The Chief Minister urged people to vote for the BJP’s lotus symbol to ensure a triple-engine government—Centre, State, and BTC—to fast-track development.

“If BJP rules in Delhi, Dispur, and Kokrajhar, we can deliver without hurdles,” he said.

The Kachugaon rally, which drew thousands, left BJP national secretary Ashok Singhal calling it “the biggest rally in BTC.” Several senior leaders, including MLA Diplu Ranjan Sharma, BTC Executive Members Arup Kumar Dey and Rajiv Kumar Brahma, BJP MCLA Sajal Kumar Singha, and former MLA Banen Mushahary attended the event.

Later at Gossaigaon, Sarma repeated his charge that BTR residents are treated as “second-class citizens” due to systemic corruption, vowing to end VCDC dominance in the region.

“BTR was not created for VCDCs to exploit people. These committees are sucking the blood of the poor. Unless they are dismantled, development will not reach the grassroots,” he said.

Sarma concluded by assuring that on September 17, 40 lakh families across Assam will receive Orunodoi benefits, promising BTR will not be left behind if the BJP secures full control.