Guwahati: Congress workers staged a large-scale protest in Nalbari on Sunday, targeting Public Health Engineering Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah over alleged corruption in the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).
Demonstrators burnt an effigy of the minister in his home constituency, accusing his department of bringing disrepute to Assam through irregularities in the flagship drinking water scheme.
The agitation briefly paralysed traffic at Nalbari Thana Chowk after protesters blocked the busy junction, forcing authorities to intervene to restore movement. Following the demonstration, Congress leaders submitted a memorandum seeking Mallabaruah’s resignation. The document was handed over to the Nalbari District Commissioner through the officer-in-charge of Nalbari police station, Pawan Kalita.
Addressing the gathering, Congress workers alleged that Assam had been ranked second nationally for corruption in the execution of the Jal Jeevan Mission. They claimed the minister’s leadership had damaged the state’s image and recalled earlier controversies involving Mallabaruah, including allegations of cow smuggling. “We feel ashamed that the Jal Jeevan Mission minister represents Nalbari. His department has pushed Assam to the second spot in the country for corruption. He has no moral right to continue in office,” a party worker said.
The protest was organised by the Nalbari Town Block Congress and drew senior party figures, including former Nalbari MLA Ashok Sharma and Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) general secretary Arun Tiwari.
The demonstration followed a broader offensive launched by APCC president Gaurav Gogoi earlier this month against the BJP-led state government over the Jal Jeevan Mission. On December 18, Gogoi accused the government of widespread mismanagement and corruption, alleging that the scheme had failed to deliver drinking water benefits to people on the ground. He claimed that the department’s proximity to the Chief Minister had allowed alleged scams to thrive while citizens continued to suffer.
As part of the campaign, Gogoi announced a statewide sticker drive at locations where the Jal Jeevan Mission has allegedly not functioned. He said the initiative would pressure both the Centre and the state government to conduct fresh inspections of the scheme’s implementation.
The Jal Jeevan Mission in Assam also faced criticism in the Lok Sabha during the recently concluded Winter Session, where Gogoi described the programme as a “complete flop show” under the present state administration.
Responding earlier to corruption allegations, PHE Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah had told the Assam Assembly on June 9 that the mission in the state is subjected to strict, multi-tier scrutiny, including third-party audits and real-time monitoring systems. He informed the House that Assam has taken up 27,596 schemes under the Jal Jeevan Mission, of which 18,498 have been completed, and 17,230 have already been handed over to user committees.