NEW DELHI: With PM Narendra Modi visiting Assam, Congress on Monday accused CM Himanta Biswa Sarma of rampant corruption and police repression, and asked if the PMO will probe the CM on the widespread allegations against him. Congress also asked PM Modi why has the BJP government not fulfilled its promises to increase wages of tea garden workers and include six ethnic groups in the ST list. It alleged while corruption is at its peak, the debt in the small state has ballooned to Rs 1.5 lakh crore from Rs 10,000 crore under Congress.
The Assam Congress leadership, including AICC state in-charge Jitendra Singh, state president Bhupen Borah, leader of opposition Debabrata Saikia, MPs Gaurav Gogoi, Pradyut Bordoloi, Rakibul Hussain, addressed a press conference to coincide with PM Modi’s visit to the state.
Waving a purported police report from 1999, Hussain alleged Sarma was identified as an ULFA “extremist”. Interestingly, Hussain claimed then CM Tarun Gogoi had pressured the Union home minister to approve a TV licence for his minister Sarma, after the HM had opposed it by calling Sarma an “extremist”.
Singh asked PM Modi if he was aware what CM Sarma was doing in the state, alleging that he has bought tea gardens by coercing garden owners to sell, opened a resort in a wildlife corridor and launched many other businesses, including a McDonald outlet, media portal, international school and land assets, while promoting the banned rathole mining — all in the name of his family members and associates. “Will the PM act on the kind of corruption that is taking place in the state,” he asked, adding, “What magic wand have you given to Sarma that he has become a business tycoon. The slogan being heard in Assam is ‘Modi ka saath, Himanta ka vikas’.”
The Assam leaders asked the PM to answer why he has not fulfilled the promises he made to the state — hiking wages of tea workers to Rs 351, inclusion of six communities in the ST list, ending artificial floods and implementing Clause 6 of the Assam Accord.
Raising an alarm over “malgovernance”, Borah said corruption has made the situation so bad that a small state like Assam has a record number of liquor shops. He said “jungle raj” in Assam is evident from the brazen attack on MP Hussain last week whose video went viral but no person has been arrested yet. Gaurav Gogoi said cops were openly attacked but no action has been taken.
Calling BJP “a factory of lies”, Gaurav Gogoi said CM Sarma is dependent on police to stay in control as he is scared about his future, especially the assembly elections.
