Assam Polls: Opp Congress releases booklet; lists 'charges' against BJP govt

GUWAHATI:

Ahead of the Assam Assembly polls, the opposition Congress pulled up the incumbent BJP-led government on several issues, primarily the alleged failure to protect the jati-mati-bheti (community-land-base) and imposition of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) on the people of the state.

The party also released a booklet, listing out a slew of charges against the incumbent state government over the past five years.

Addressing a media conference here on Sunday, All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary (in-charge of Assam) Jitendra Singh alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party government has deceived the people of Assam by imposing CAA and posing a threat to the language, culture and identity of Assam.

"The BJP government has failed to implement the Assam Accord in letter and spirit, and also Clause 6, as promised," Singh said.

Alleging that the NRC has been put on the shelf, he said, "BJP had promised to finish the work of updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC), started by the Congress, which would help identify foreigners. But the party has stalled the process of NRC for reasons best known to them. It is affecting the genuine citizens who did not find their names in the document."

The Congress leader also took potshots at the government over influx problem, saying that the BJP had stated that there were 50 lakh Bangladeshis in Assam.

"That this was a false statement is made apparent by the figures of the home ministry, according to which, 989 people in 2014, 474 in 2015, 308 in 2016 and 51 persons in 2017 were expelled as Bangladeshis. The number has further dwindled to 50 Bangladeshis pushed out of the country in 2018 and 2019. The numbers prove how many illegal migrants the Modi government has actually deported," Singh said.

He further took a dig at the incumbent government on the unemployment scenario in the state.

"Before the 2016 Assembly elections, the BJP had promised to provide employment to the youths – a promise to employ 5 lakh unemployed in the state every year. Like other promises, the BJP failed to deliver on this promise too," he alleged.

"There are around 3 lakh posts lying vacant in different departments at present and the number of unemployed in the state has reached 40 lakh," he said, adding that the central government has, in fact, stopped appointments in government offices, public sector undertakings and nationalised banks.

Further, accusing the BJP government of "selling off" Assam’s resources, Singh termed the incumbent government in the state a "remote-controlled government," saying that the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport has been sold to the Adani Group for 50 years, while 27 oil fields have been privatised.

"Besides, the Prime Minister had earlier promised to revive two paper mills of Assam but nothing like that has opened. Many employees of the mills have died, unable to afford medical expenses," he said.

"During the time of the BJP ruling the state, there has been a mushrooming of syndicates- from essentials like fruits, vegetables, fish and eggs to coal and cattle," Singh alleged.

The Congress leader further flagged other issues like the "abnormal" price rise of essential commodities and fuel; "failure to solve the flood and erosion problem; the lack of traction to increase the minimum wages of tea workers to ₹ 351 per day; failure to provide the Scheduled Tribe status to six tribes of Assam."

"Besides, the BJP’s vision document had promised the state’s farmers that they will get the minimum support price for paddy. But only one percent of the total paddy produced was bought at that price," he added.

(Edited by Shankar Kumar Turha)

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