The Raijor Dal (; RD) is an Indian political party based in the state of

Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...

. The party believes in the principles of

Secularism Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on secular, naturalistic considerations. Secularism is most commonly defined as the separation of religion from civil affairs and the state, and may be broadened to a si ...

Socialism Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...

Progressivism Progressivism holds that it is possible to improve human societies through political action. As a political movement, progressivism seeks to advance the human condition through social reform based on purported advancements in science, tec ...

Ethnocentrism Ethnocentrism in social science and anthropology—as well as in colloquial English discourse—means to apply one's own culture or ethnicity as a frame of reference to judge other cultures, practices, behaviors, beliefs, and people, instead of ...

and opposes

Citizenship Amendment Act The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 was passed by the Parliament of India on 11 December 2019. It amended the Citizenship Act, 1955 by providing a pathway to Indian citizenship for persecuted religious minorities from Afghanistan, Banglad ...

as it believes that it is thread to Assamese Identity as

Bangladeshi Bangladeshis ( bn, বাংলাদেশী ) are the citizens of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centered on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the eponymous bay. Bangladeshi citizenship was formed in 1971, when the ...

Hindus Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

can get

citizenship Citizenship is a "relationship between an individual and a state to which the individual owes allegiance and in turn is entitled to its protection". Each state determines the conditions under which it will recognize persons as its citizens, and ...

. The formation of the party was the culmination of more than 15 years of struggle of its parent mass organization Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti(KMSS) for land rights, farmers rights, ecological conservation and protection of lives and livelihoods of the working classes of Assam. In the wake of the statewide Anti-CAA movement where KMSS and 70 other organizations played a leading role,

Akhil Gogoi Akhil Gogoi is an Indian peasant leader, RTI activist and MLA from Sibsagar, Assam. Over the years he has been leading many anti-graft movements in the state. Gogoi came to national attention after he was awarded the Shanmugam Manjunath Integr ...

, the then Chief advisor of KMSS and many others were arrested under draconian laws like the UAPA by the ruling BJP government, A new party was proposed on 2 October 2020 (when Gogoi was still in jail) with an aim to overthrow the BJP from power in Assam and provide a progressive regional alternative to the people of the state. Later, Raijor Dal was formally launched on 8 January 2021 at 1st Moran convention . The party's stated political ideology is progressive sub-nationalism which encapsulates ideas of federalism, equal rights self-reliance and scientific temper.

History

The party was founded on 2 October 2021 by KMSS leader

, who at the time was in jail for his participation in the

Citizenship Amendment Act protests The Citizenship Amendment Act (Bill) protests, also known as the CAA Protest, CAB Protest or CAA and NRC protests, occurred after the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was enacted by the Government of India on 12 December 2019. The move sparked ...

. The party was officially announced by filmmaker Jahnu Baruah who had extended his support along with Assamese film actress

Zerifa Wahid Zerifa Wahid is an Indian actress known for her works in Assamese films. Her prominent features include ''Baandhon'', which won the 60th National Film Awards for Best Feature Film in Assamese directed by Jahnu Baruah. and the best film in th ...

and lawyer Arup Borbora. The party is preparing pitch in the upcoming

2021 Assam Legislative Assembly election The 2021 Assam Legislative Assembly election was the 15th quinquennial legislative assembly election held in the Indian state of Assam from March 27 to April 6 in three phases, to elect 126 MLAs to the 15th Assam Legislative Assembly. The vot ...

by intensifying anti-CAA protest apart from mounting pressure on the government to ensure release of

Electoral Performance

For

, Raijor Dal joined an alliance with Assam Jatiya Parishad an offshoot of

All Assam Students Union All Assam Students' Union or AASU is a Assamese nationalist students' organisation in Assam, India. It is best known for leading the six-year Assam Movement against Bengalis of both Indian and Bangladeshi origin living in Assam. The leadership, ...

and Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad. According to the seat-sharing agreement, Assam Jatiya Parishad will contest on 68 seats, and Raijor Dal will contest on 29 seats of

State Legislative Assembly Elections

References

Political parties established in 2020 2020 establishments in Assam Political parties in Assam State political parties in Assam Regionalist parties in India {{Assam-stub