Guwahati : In Assam politics, the native-outsider narratives have a special significance.
In 2003 when Nitish Kumar was Railway Minister; Bihari candidates appearing for Railway jobs were attacked by locals.
Often associated with "outsider" narratives in regional politics, the Bhojpuri community in Assam is increasingly seen as a part of the diverse, inclusive, but also contentious, political landscape of Assam.
For the coming polls, the conflict of interests of non-Bengali and Bhojpuri-speaking aspirants has caused internal churn within political dynamism.
In other words, this highlights the tension between local ticket aspirants and "parachuted" candidates.
In past elections, campaigns have included translating campaign songs into Bhojpuri, alongside other languages like Nepali, Bodo, and Bengali, to connect with these communities.
The Akhil Assam Bhojpuri Parishad has been playing a role in highlighting the contributions and demands of the Bhojpuri community, emphasizing their integration into the broader Assamese community.
The BJP has used Bhojpuri-speaking leaders and cultural outreach in tea-garden-dominated constituencies (e.g., Lakhipur) to influence the 15,000+ Hindi-speaking voters in those areas.
This year forced by circumstances, Udarbond assembly segment adjacent to busy business nerve centre Silchar has become a hotbed of contest between Bengali Hindus and Bhojpuri.
Even among BJP ticket aspirants are three Bhojpuri leaders. Congress nominee probably would be Ajit Singh.
Entire plot has changed ever since former Lakhipur MLA Rajdeep Gawala has also emerged a powerful ticket aspirant in Silchar.
To counter him a Nagorik Meeting will be held at Udarbond either Tuesday or Wednesday wherein a resolution may be adopted to oppose the possible candidate of Gawala. The stance would be - he is not only a Bhojpuri; but he originally hails from Lakhipur assembly constituency.
Even in other parts of Assam say Lumding - not far from Nagaland border --- the issue of Bhojpuri is in political discourse.
Congress leader Ajay Pandey says :
"Language is a delicate topic in India, as linguistic diversity led to the creation of multiple states after independence. The local language is frequently inseparable from regional pride".
Political activists from various parties point out the significance of language debates in Assam.
In 2020, the Assam government sparked controversy by proposing that Assamese be made a compulsory subject in schools throughout the state. This move sparked widespread protests, especially in Barak Valley, where the majority speaks Bengali.
Past experience from various parts of the state suggest the Congress and the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) and the opposition Congress are taking advantage of the issue.
"By excluding Assamese citizens or others who speak Bengali, you cannot create an Assam for Assamese," says Guwahati-based Rana Das, who is otherwise a BJP voter.
His latent reference was to state chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's attempts to promote the idea of "One Assam, One Identity".
In other words they say -- such politics may harm BJP more than doing good.
Language is more often not just for communication. It can be an undercurrent — that increasingly influences political inclinations.
Manoj Gogoi, an Assamese literature teacher explains it well -- in north eastern India context; language is fundamentally about control and culture.
"Look in the neighbourhood; religion could not work as a unifying factor and Bangladesh was created with distinct language and culture working as a trigger," he added.
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