Guwahati: Accusing Congress of mismanagement and siphoning of funds meant for rural development schemes, opposition Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday said the electorate of Assam would reject the ruling party in the upcoming panchayat polls in the state.
“The electorate in rural areas have understood the facts regarding the magnitude of mismanagement indulged in by the Tarun Gogoi led government. We firmly believe that in the upcoming panchayat polls, our the voters will reject the Congress and vote for the BJP,” state BJP president Sarbananda Sonowal said here.
Speaking during a function to release the party’s manifesto for the panchayat polls, Sonowal also accused the Congress government of subverting the panchayati raj institution by not decentralising power to local bodies.
He also accused the Congress government of encouraging settlement of “illegal Bangladeshi immigrants” in villages and reserved forests of the state.
“There is total mismanagement in all sector. The public distribution system is in chaos with salt being sold at Rs 10 per kg in the black market insetad of the stipulated Rs 3 per kg in fair price shops and similar is the case with all our products,” the former Lok Sabha MP said.
In it manifesto, the BJP said if it wins the panchayat polls it would take steps to increase productivity of farm land, give land to landless farm labourers, provide subsidised fertiliser, promote animal husbandry, focus on rural education, health, water supply and employment generation, among other steps.
The panchayat polls in Assam will be held in three phases on January 30, February 6 and February 12 next.
Asked how many seats the BJP expects to win in the panchayat polls, Sonowal refrained from giving a direct reply and said: “We believe BJP will receive the guidance and blessings of the rural people of Assam.”
Regarding recent comments made against him by Asom Gana Parishad president Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, Sonowal refused to be drawn into the matter and said that “Congress is our main rival.”
“Besides highlighting the corruption, inflation and mismanagement of the Congress government, we are also presenting an alternative for the interest of the poor and deprived people of 23,000 villages of Assam besides the lakhs of workers in the tea gardens of the state,” Sonowal said. (PTI)