Guwahati: The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) has alleged large-scale irregularities and corruption in the Gorukhuti Agricultural Project.
Senior Congress leader Ram Prasad Sharma claimed a clear mismatch between the statements of project chairman Padma Hazarika and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, demanding a CBI inquiry into the alleged misuse of public funds.
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Sharma said the government launched the project on over 77,000 bighas of land after evicting Indian citizens and spent nearly Rs 25 crore on it.
After granting Padma Hazarika cabinet status and investing substantial public funds, the government raised public expectations of job creation and dairy self-sufficiency through Gir cow farming.
Instead, Sharma alleged, those in charge misused public money and politicized the entire initiative.
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He further claimed that several ministers and MLAs enriched themselves through the project and blamed the government for wasting public resources.
APCC Media Department Chairman Bedabrata Bora alleged irregularities in the tender process for procuring 300 Gir cows from Gujarat through the NDDB.
He questioned why the government assigned NDDB to handle the procurement, who is accountable for the deaths of several cows, and how much public money the government has lost.
Bora also demanded answers about when the cows arrived, why officials offloaded 90 cows at Rangia station, and why they distributed the cows to BJP leaders without any public announcement or tender process.
Highlighting inconsistencies in official figures, he asked how many cows remain after the distribution of 90, the return of 154 due to illness, and the reported death of 56.
Bora said BJP workers and police stopped a Congress delegation from visiting Gorukhuti.
He pointed to reports that the Gir cows produced only 5–6 litres of milk daily, questioning the project’s viability, especially since local and Jersey breeds produce 10–12 litres. He demanded a white paper on the project’s finances.
Congress spokesperson Ramen Jha criticized the condition of gaushalas in Assam and accused the government of hypocrisy. He said funds reach ministers’ families but not cow shelters.
Referring to CM Sarma’s claim that he gave sick cows to ministers for “safety,” he asked why the government didn’t send them to gaushalas instead.
He blamed both Sarma and Hazarika for the death of 65 cows, alleging a profit-driven “cow syndicate.”
Jha warned that this disrespect toward cows could ultimately bring down the government.