Dharmanagar, July 13: Pradesh Congress President Ashish Kumar Saha visited Dharmanagar on Sunday and participated in the North District meeting of the Kisan Congress.

Addressing a press conference during the visit, Saha strongly criticized the state government over its policies of increasing taxes and installing smart meters. He alleged that these decisions are causing severe financial hardship for the common people and farmers. He announced that the Congress party would launch a protest movement on the streets starting July 14 against these issues.

In a significant political development on the same day, three individuals — Ramakrishna Sinha, Akmal Hossain, and Azir Uddin — resigned from the BJP and joined the Congress party. They were welcomed by the district leadership with traditional Uttariya at the Dharmanagar Congress Bhavan.