Guwahati: Tai Ahom Development Council (TADC) chairman Mayur Borgohain has backed the eviction drives being conducted across Assam.
The TADC chief made the statement while reacting to the ongoing controversy over the issue of thousands of people getting evicted by the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led government.
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“Eviction drives are necessary to protect the existence of the Assamese people. The State government is doing a very good job by evicting certain people in Assam,” Borgohain said after performing the ‘lai khuta’ (main post) installation ceremony of the Rs 40 lakh project for renovation of the Balighat-based Shiva Mandir in Assam’s Sivasagar district.
Borgohain had fought the 2021 assembly elections as the BJP candidate from Nazira constituency. But he lost the election to his nearest rival Debabrata Saikia of the Congress by a narrow margin.
Asked if he would contest the 2026 assembly elections, the former Sivasagar district BJP president said, “Whoever the party likes or whoever takes the party forward will get BJP candidature for Nazira constituency.”
Borgohain said that the TADC has taken a slew of measures for overall development of the Ahom community, including funding of conservation of Ahom-era monuments across the State, scholarships for students learning the Tai language and coaching for students preparing for UPSC and APSC examinations.
“Though most of the ‘moidam’s — the mound-burial system of the Ahom dynasty — are located in Sivasagar and Charaideo districts, the TADC has taken steps for conservation of over 100 ‘moidam’s in different parts of the State,” he said.
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According to the TADC chairman, the various projects being funded by the Council include the construction of the Rs 6.5 crore Joymoti Memorial Complex at Maduri, the Rs 1 crore Sukapha Kshetra at Gogamukh, the Rs 1 crore Sati Joymoti Kshetra at Lakhimpur, and the Chaolung Sukapha statue on Tipam Hills. Similar work by the TADC is going on in Tinsukia, Charaideo, Sivasagar, Jorhat, and Golaghat districts, and even in Guwahati.
“The Council has earmarked Rs 70 lakh for construction of a statue of Swargadeo Gadadhar Singha in front of the Athkhelia Namghar in Golaghat district. The people associated with the shrine have already decided to provide a ‘bigha’ of land for the purpose. Boundary walls of Piyoli Phukan Dole, Gorokhia Dole, Jagadhatri Dole, and Bishnu Dole have also been constructed by the Council,” Borgohain said.
He said, “The TADC has been sponsoring coaching-cum-training programmes for eligible Tai Ahom students preparing for the competitive examinations conducted by the UPSC and the APSC. The coaching is conducted in Guwahati and Delhi. Several students have passed the exams with flying colours.”
The Council has constructed Tai-language schools in certain areas of Assam. Over 200 students are learning the Tai language in various vernacular-medium government schools in the State. The Council has also given scholarships to them and their teachers, Borgohain said.
Tai was the language of the Ahom kingdom in Assam, but is now primarily used in cultural and religious contexts. While no longer a spoken language in the State, efforts are on to revive it.
Borgohain said that the TADC has implemented various projects worth Rs 75 crore since he took over as the Council chairman in December 2023.