Samiran Choudhury, Silchar,Assam, India: 23 July 2025: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is scheduled to visit the Barak Valley on August 24 for a series of events, including the unveiling of a statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Welcoming this visit, the Barak Democratic Front (BDF) has also raised several key demands concerning the welfare of Bengalis in Barak Valley and the state at large.

Speaking to the press after a meeting held at the BDF office, Chief Convenor Pradip Dutta Roy stated that Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose is a highly revered figure for all Indians, especially Bengalis. The fact that the Chief Minister will personally unveil Netaji’s statue is a matter of great pride for the people of Barak and the nation. BDF wholeheartedly welcomes this initiative.

He further noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had once referred to Netaji as the first Prime Minister of India. Therefore, BDF is demanding that Netaji’s portrait be featured on at least one Indian currency note. Dutta Roy emphasized that only the Chief Minister can take the initiative to push this proposal in Parliament and ensure its implementation, and thus urged him to pursue the matter.

Dutta Roy also raised the issue of the Barak Valley language movement, stating that 65 years have passed since the historic struggle, yet the language martyrs of May 19 have not received official recognition. A long-pending proposal to rename a railway station as “Bhasha Shahid Station” has been stuck at Dispur for eight years, despite receiving a green signal from the central government and the Ministry of Railways. Dutta Roy urged the Chief Minister to acknowledge the sentiments of the Bengali community and make an official announcement on July 24 during the statue unveiling ceremony.

Additionally, he voiced concern about the growing unemployment crisis in the Barak Valley. He reiterated demands for the immediate establishment of industries on the land of the defunct Panchgram Paper Mill and the reservation of third- and fourth-grade government jobs in the Valley for local residents.

Jaydeep Bhattacharjee, Convenor of BDF’s Media Cell, also spoke to reporters. He pointed out that every year during the monsoon, the Barak Valley remains cut off from the rest of India for at least three months due to disruption of rail and road connectivity. With air travel being the only viable option, exorbitant airfare makes travel unaffordable for most residents. Highlighting the need for better connectivity, he urged the implementation of the Central Government’s UDAN scheme in the Barak Valley. He specifically demanded immediate UDAN flights between Silchar-Guwahati and Silchar-Kolkata.

He also strongly warned against any renewed attempts to initiate fresh citizenship verification in the Valley without completing the pending NRC process. Such a move, he stated, would be unacceptable to the people of Barak Valley.