Gogoi under fire for cash gift proposal in budget

Guwahati:  Main Opposition political parties in Assam ,namely AGP, BJP and AIUDF have come down heavily on  Congress government in Assam  and its  chief minister Tarun Gogoi for presenting an ‘election-oriented populist’ interim budget for the year 2014-15 that has provisions for cash gifts to poor people as Bihu gift.
The opposition parties have launched attack on  Gogoi who also holds the finance portfolio,  or making an announcement while presenting the interim budget that the government will  provide cash gift to BPL people in the state during the next spring festival (Bohag Bihu) that  is celebrated in mid-April, before the next general election in the country.
AGP president and former chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta said, “The interim budget promising cash gift to poor people during next Bohag Bihu  is a reflection of Congress’ strategy to  win votes by luring gullible voters using government money in the next Lok Sabha polls. Gogoi has legimised the politics  of providing sops  with government fund  for winning polls .”
State BJP general secretary Santanu Bharali said, “The interim budget presented by Gogoi will do no good to the people of the State in general except helping Congress to lure voters by providing cash gift during Bohag Bihu.”