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Assam’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday released its election manifesto for the Assembly polls, promising to increase the monthly handout for women under the Orunodoi scheme to Rs 3,000 if it retains power for the third consecutive term.

The beneficiaries currently receive an assistance of Rs 1,250 per month.

The Hindutva party made 31 promises, including the implementation of the 1950 Immigrants Expulsion from Assam Act to expedite the “detection and pushback of illegal immigrants” and “freeing every inch” of land allegedly encroached by them.

The Act grants power to district commissioners and senior superintendents of police to expel “illegal migrants” from the state by bypassing the Foreigners’ Tribunals.

In September, the Assam Cabinet approved the framing of a standard operating procedure under the Act. Earlier, cases pertaining to undocumented migrants were handled by the Foreigners’ Tribunals.

Foreigners’ Tribunals in Assam are quasi-judicial bodies that adjudicate on matters of citizenship. They have been accused of arbitrariness and bias, and of declaring people foreigners on the basis of minor spelling mistakes, a lack of documents or lapses in memory.

Additionally, the police in several states ruled by the BJP have been detaining Bengali-speaking persons – mostly Muslims – and asking them to prove that they are Indian citizens since April 2025.

Several persons have been forced into Bangladesh after they allegedly could not...

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