The BJP will organise a Sankalp and progress rally at Khanikar in this Upper Assam district on Sunday amid the ongoing anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests in Dibrugrah.

Chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, ministers Himanta Biswa Sharma and Atul Bora, BJP state president Ranjeet Kumar Dass and other leaders of the BJP and its allies will attend the rally at Khanikar field near Jagannath temple from 11am.

For the first time such a huge BJP rally is going to be organised in Sonowal’s home district which has witnessed massive anti-CAA protests.

“We are expecting a gathering of 1.5 lakh people from Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Sivasagar, Jorhat and Charaideo districts and parts of Dhemaji. The rally has been organised for peace and uninterrupted development in the state,” Assam BJP’s general secretary Pulok Gohain told reporters at the rally venue on Saturday.

Another BJP leader said, “After our government came to power in Assam, we have done lots of development. In the Sankalp rally, we will discuss our achievements in the last four years in Assam. We started the Sankalp rally from Nalbari.”

Sources said it would be a political rally to showcase the BJP’s strength before the 2021 Assembly elections. The BJP has a strong base in Upper Assam but after the anti-CAA movement, many people are considering switching over to other parties.

The news conference on Saturday was also attended by MLAs Prashanta Phukan and Rituparna Baruah, Assam State Housing Board vice-chairperson Subhash Dutta and BJP district president Jagadish Rajkonwar.

Additional director-general of police (law and order), G.P. Singh has arrived in Dibrugarh to monitor the law and order situation for smooth conduct of the rally.

On Thursday, clashes took place between the All Assam Students’ Union and BJP members at Chabua, 35km from Dibrugarh, when some AASU members waved black flags at Dass’s convoy and burnt his effigy while protesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

They raised slogans like “BJP go back”, “Ranjeet Dass murdabad”, “CAA aami namanu (I will not accept CAA)” and “Jai aai Axom (Glory to mother Assam)”.

Amid the protest, a scuffle broke out between AASU and BJP members. This further enraged the protesters who refused to clear the road.

Seven members of the AASU were detained by the police.