Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) president and Bodoland Territorial Council chief Hagrama Mohilary on Friday expressed anger over the alleged attempt by unidentified persons on Thursday night to set ablaze the stage set up here for Gauhati Lok Sabha candidate Queen Oja’s rally.

Boko, a town in Assam’s Kamrup district which comes under Gauhati parliamentary constituency, has a considerable population of Bodos.

However, Queen could not attend the rally here as she was campaigning in Mirza in Kamrup district.

Mohilary claimed he knew who the miscreants were and vowed to “avenge the attack”. “Me and my party have never done this kind of politics and nobody can win by doing such work,” he said.

Mohilary claimed that Oja would win from Gauhati as the Bodo people are with the BJP candidate. “I worked with the Congress for 15 years but I am happier working with the BJP for the last five years,” he said.

United Bodo People’s Organisation (UBPO) South Kamrup secretary Kaushik Boro said Boko police were investigating the incident.

BPF president Hagrama Mohilary arrives at Boko on Friday Picture by Kulendu Kalita

Speaking at the rally, Rajya Sabha MP Biswajit Daimary requested the Bodo people to cast their votes for the BJP, an ally of the BPF, so that they can get the Bodo-Kachari Autonomous Council, for those living outside the BTAD. “Under this council, Bodo people will get better education and health care. The initiative for this council was taken by the UBPO and Mohilary for the Bodo people living outside BTAD,” he added.

Daimary said the Congress was insulting poor families by criticising the Assam’s government’s scheme to distribute one tola gold to poor families for their daughter’s wedding. “The Congress leaders can never feel how difficult it is for poor Assamese families to prepare for their daughter’s wedding. So the Congress is indirectly insulting the poor families by criticising the scheme,” he said.

The Congress had said recently that education and not gold should be given to poor families.

Thousands of people attended the rally where local AGP and BJP leaders felicitated Mohilary and Daimary. They arrived here by a helicopter around 11.30am.

The rally was organised by the UBPO.

Speaking about the incident, Boko block Congress president Arabinda Rabha said, “India is a democratic country and everyone has the freedom to participate in elections. However, those trying to disrupt law and order must be punished.”