The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) on Wednesday came down heavily on the BJP-ruled State Government alleging that it has “failed in all fronts”.
The executive meeting of the APCC held in Dibrugarh concluded on Wednesday where various issues plaguing the State were discussed.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday evening here, Apurba Bhattacharya, senior APCC spokesperson accused the BJP of trying to saffronise the whole democratic system.
Also read: Assam Congress president hits out at BJP over GST
“Under the instruction of the RSS, the BJP is destroying the secular fabric of the country. The GST and demonetization of the BJP have failed to bring any difference in the economy of the country,” said Bhattacharya.
Bhattacharya also said, “Sarbananda Sonowal-led BJP Government in Assam is fooling the people by giving false assurances in the name of express highway.”
He asserted, “BJP’s is the Government of the capitalists and is working at behest of the big corporate industries.”
The APCC spokesperson also said under the leadership of APCC president and Rajya Sabha MP Ripun Bora, the executive meeting of the State Congress was held in Dibrugarh. “We have taken various resolutions for the upcoming panchyat election in Assam. We are fully prepared to give a tough fight against the BJP in panchyat election. BJP is trying to destroy the Panchyati Raj system,” he added.
The Leader of the Opposition in the Assam Legislative Assembly, Debabrata Saikia, said that despite the Prime Minister’s slogans like ‘A for Assam’ and his much-touted 30 visits to Assam, in reality the BJP Governments at the Centre and the State have been “hoodwinking” the people of Assam over various important issues.
Speaking at a party meeting in Dibrugarh on Tuesday, Saikia picked Union Minister of State for Railways, Rajen Gohain for special criticism and said that the latter had failed to do justice to Assam in spite of representing the State in the Parliament.
Saikia observed, “Instead of upholding Assam’s interests, Gohain is busy making political comments to polarize people.”
Saikia mentioned that the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs headed by Narendra Modi had been sitting on a 2013-14 proposal for double-laning of railway tracks from New Bongaigaon to Agyathuri and Kamakhya, whereas the long-standing demand was for double-laning of tracks up to Dibrugarh.
Mentioning that States like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar had been given double-laned railway tracks even though they fulfilled lesser criteria under Line Capacity Utilization norms than Assam, Saikia also said that Gohain had failed to ensure recruitment of local youths in Group-C and Group-D jobs which ultimately went to candidates from outside the State.
The Opposition leader referred to the unsatisfactory progress of work under schemes such as Prime Minister’s Awas Yojana and Prime Minister’s Sadak Yojana in Assam. He said that the BJP’s “duplicity” could be gauged from one Union Minister claiming sufficiency of funds for developmental works and simultaneously another Union Minister lamenting the slow pace of work in Assam.
He also expressed concern over the increase in incidents of mob lynching in Assam and other States due to growing intolerance.
Saikia said that the BJP-led State Government had gone back on the promises made before the elections regarding important issues like regularization of services of contractual teachers, flood control and embankment repair, Brahmaputra excavation, eradication of syndicates and the like. Instead, the Government had converted all its pre-poll promises into ‘jumlas’ by specifying deadlines and then flouting them.
In his speech, Saikia reiterated his call for the Chief Minister to respect public sentiment by convening a special session of the Assam Legislative Assembly to dispel apprehensions regarding the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill.
The APCC executive meeting was also attended by former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, former Union Minister Paban Singh Ghatowar, former minister Rakibul Hussain and other senior party leaders.
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