Guwahati: The Tai Ahom Yuva Parishad (TAYP) has warned Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma against distortion of Ahom history.
In a statement, TAYP president Vijay Rajkonwar urged the Assam chief minister to refrain from distorting the history of Ahoms.
Rajkonwar alleged that Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in his speech at the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) state convention on Sunday misrepresented the history of Ahoms.
“Avoid the thought of distorting the history of the Ahoms. This history is thousands of years old and written history. Mahavir Lachit Borphukan cannot be made a Hindu hero even if you try a thousand times,” the TAYP president said.
Lachit Borphukan was commander of the Ahom armies during the battle of Saraighat – fought on the banks of Brahmaputra in Guwahati.
The battle, which took place during the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s reign, was seen as a decisive Ahom victory.
“Lachit Borphukan is an Ahom and Assamese hero, he is not a religious warrior. We don’t even allow it to happen,” Rajkonwar added.
In his address at the ABVP conference, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had said that the name of Ahom King Chakradhar Singh carries the identity of Hindus.
Reacting to the Assam chief minister’s comments that there is no authentic information in history about the presence of Bagh Hazarika, Rajkonwar said whether he was a part of the battle of Saraighat or not, Tai script will tell.
“The chief minister or anyone else cannot keep saying it,” he added.
Bagh Hazarika was a 17th-century warrior who fought against the Mughals for the Ahom kingdom.
Referring to Chief Minister’s comments about Lachit Borphukan going to Kamakhya temple to offer prayers, the TAYP president said, “Ahoms are allowed to go anywhere. They eat all types of food. There is no restriction in Ahom tradition and beliefs. The Ahoms worship nature and their ancestors.”