Assam: Congress stir over BJP’s ‘fake promises’ on floods and erosion

By: Rokibuz Zaman
GUWAHATI: The Opposition Congress in Assam on Monday staged demonstrations at all blocks in the state against the “false” promises of the BJP government towards the permanent solution of flood and erosion problems of the state, as part of its “anti-betrayal day” programme.
With Assam witnessing a serious flood situation, Assam Congress has hit out at the central and the state government, blaming negligence and lack of seriousness on their part for the devastation.
Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Ripun Bora said this BJP government only believed in “jumla” that only "tries to fool" the people of Assam.
“In the last two months, lakhs of people are affected by floods and are going without food. People are taking shelters on embankments and national highway but the Prime Minister has no time to visit Assam and see the plight of the people or even depute any central minister to see the situation, whereas he has lots of time to travel the entire world and visit Pakistan without invitation to have biryani,” Bora said.
“PM Narendra Modi on August 1, 2017 in Guwahati declared some packages for flood control. He declared Rs 2,350 crore for the entire northeast, Rs 400 crore for immediate control of erosion of Assam, Rs 250 crore for immediate distribution of relief to the flood-affected people and Rs 100 crore for taking up research work on the Brahmaputra to control the flood. But nothing has been done and not a single rupee has been sanctioned,” Bora said .
BJP state chief spokesperson Rupam Goswami, on the other hand, alleged that the opposition Congress has been trying to get political mileage by circulating false data of the financial assistance that Assam has received from the Centre during the UPA and NDA tenures. “It is laughable that Congress, which is betraying people since Independence, is now observing the anti-betrayal day,” he said.