The All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) staged a walkout from the Assam Legislative Assembly on the first day of its Winter Session on the 20th of December, 2022 following the rejection of their adjournment motion to discuss the Batadrava eviction drive. The Nagaon district administration, amid tight security, had launched a large-scale eviction drive in the Batadrava mouza of Nagaon district on Monday, the 19th of December, 2022. This drive is being carried out in four villages with the aim of clearing out nearly 1200 bighas of alleged encroached land under the Dhing revenue circle.
In light of this event, AIUDF MLA Animul Islam expressed the party’s opposition to the eviction drive by the government of Assam, demanding that the matter be discussed in the Assembly under the adjournment motion. He urged the House to promptly address the issue, claiming that the matter of eviction is of utmost public importance. However, their plea was turned down by the Speaker of the Assembly, Biswajit Daimary. “I have no objection to the topic. These can be discussed through other ways. There is no need to adjourn all the works of the day and discuss the matter in the House”, he said.
Parliamentary affairs minister, Pijush Hazarika added that the eviction issue could be discussed later during the session of revenue department. Outraged at their demand being turned down, the AIUDF MLAs walked out of the Assembly and gathered around the Well of the House to protest against the ongoing eviction drive by displaying placards and shouting slogans against the eviction exercise of the government. In response, several BJP MLAs also walked up to the scene of chaos to raise counter slogans against the AIUDF.
As such, the winter session of the Assam Assembly began on a turbulent note over the issue of the largest eviction drive being conducted in Nagaon, near the birthplace of Vaishnav saint Srimanta Sankardeva. This session of the Assam Assembly will conclude on the 24th of December, 2022. According to Pijush Hazarika, over twenty bills are likely to be presented in the Assembly during this five-day session.
