GUWAHATI: Priyanka Gandhi on Tuesday launched Congress’s “five guarantees” campaign, which includes a proposed law to nullify the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), from Tezpur in Assam.
The other key guarantees made by her are five lakh government jobs if Congress forms the next government in Assam, free electricity up to 200 units per household, Rs 2,000 monthly income as “grihini samman” to all housewives and wages of Rs 365 per day for tea garden workers which was promised by Rahul Gandhi earlier.
“We are not here to make empty promises as people are losing faith in leaders. Congress is giving guarantee on the five issues that concern the people of Assam the most,” Priyanka said at a rally in Tezpur on Tuesday.
Calling the ensuing election as an election of trust, she said people of Assam were cheated by the ruling BJP five years ago that promised them 25 lakh jobs but gave them CAA instead.
The Congress leader said the guarantees are achievable as these have been finalized based on a study carried out by an expert team on the state’s economy. “When we say tea garden workers will get Rs 365, this does not mean that the garden owners and companies will have to incur heavy losses. This means the government will help the tea workers so that along with the wages given by the companies, they can get a total of Rs 365 a day,” Priyanka added.
While attacking the BJP-led government for its bid to privatize airports and oil fields, she said the CAA will put the very identity of Assam in crisis. Remembering her father Rajiv Gandhi, who was instrumental in signing the 1985 Assam Accord after a six-year-long anti-foreigners’ movement, she lamented how the CAA has nullified the accord.
“When the Assam Accord was signed, the essence was that the people of Assam will preserve their own identity and the Centre won’t dictate the terms. But after winning the last assembly election with the slogan of safeguarding ‘jati, maati and bheti (community, home and hearth), their government brought the CAA. Clause 6 of Assam Accord was also not implemented,” she added.
She further said, “The Prime Minister raised concern recently, saying that the attack has unleashed on Assam tea. But what about the attack on Assam’s identity by BJP and RSS leaders in the last five years. The PM is silent on this.”
The Congress leader dared the BJP to clear its stand on the CAA in the election campaign as the saffron party is keeping mum on the contentious legislation allegedly due to fear of losing votes of the indigenous communities who are against regularizing the entry of migrant non-Muslims. “All over India, they support the CAA but don’t have the courage to talk about CAA here in Assam before the elections,” said Priyanka, as she wrapped up her Assam tour and departed to New Delhi from Tezpur.
Congress manifesto committee chairperson Gaurav Gogoi said the party was promising “only five lakh government jobs” as opposed to the BJP’s unkept promise of 25 lakh government jobs. He added that the Congress government would also create 25 lakh private sector jobs by introducing reservations for Assamese people.
BPF chief Hagrama Mohilary, who joined the Congress-led alliance after snapping the five-year alliance with BJP, also shared the dais with Priyanka at the rally.