Congress launches ‘save land, save race’ rally in poll-bound Assam

GUWAHATI

Almost a decade after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched the ‘jati, mati, bheti’ (race, land, and hearth) campaign to dislodge Congress from power in Assam, the grand old party has rolled out a ‘mati bachao, jati bachao’ rally to ‘save land, save race’ from the saffron party in the poll-bound State.

The Congress campaign, launched on Thursday (February 5, 2026) from a Manabendra Bhawan, a complex in Guwahati named after a murdered leader, also targeted Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and members of his family for alleged corruption and irregularities in acquiring large swathes of land.

Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Gaurav Gogoi, Leader of the Opposition Debabrata Saikia, All India Congress Committee general secretary Jitendra Singh, and MPs Pradyut Bordoloi and Rakibul Hussain embarked on the yatra using a specially designed campaign vehicle.

Party workers displayed placards and shouted slogans as they passed by properties associated with the Chief Minister’s family. One of the signs read in Assamese: “Deshotkoi mami dangor nohoy”, which means “maternal aunt is not greater than the nation”.

The slogan is a play on a statement attributed to legendary Ahom general, Lachit Borphukan, after he beheaded his maternal uncle (mama) for negligence during the construction of a fortification to ward off the Mughal forces. The youth and children in Assam usually refer to Mr. Sarma as mama, whose wife, by default, is mami.

“We have information that the Chief Minister’s family owns nearly 12,000 bighas [almost 3,970 acres] of land, and his wife is the owner of properties across this vast area,” Mr. Gogoi said as the rally traversed the Amingaon area across the Brahmaputra River from Guwahati.

He also said that the Chief Minister, who handled the Education Department for a long period, oversaw the closure of some 8,000 government schools, while “his wife opened a luxurious private school spread across 60 bighas of land,” he said, adding that his party would take these facts to the people ahead of the elections to the 126-member Assembly by April-May.

Mr. Gogoi further alleged intimidation of journalists and misuse of government resources, demanding full disclosure of financial dealings involving the Chief Minister’s relatives. Congress leaders later protested outside media offices, a McDonald’s outlet, and other commercial properties allegedly linked to the Chief Minister’s family, demanding transparency on public funds and land ownership.

They said that the yatra marked the formal beginning of the party’s election campaign, aimed at restoring good governance, protecting land rights and promoting peace, unity and social harmony in Assam.