Modi ‘bulldozed’ rights of tea garden workers: CPI(M)
Titabar (Assam): Hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday accused Tarun Gogoi of betraying the people of Assam for the last 15 years, the chief minister termed the BJP leader a “very good actor” and that people only love to see his acting but do not trust him.
“He (Modi) is definitely a very good actor. People love to see his acting and that’s why they listen to him. But that does not mean people trust him,” Gogoi said at a public rally in his home constituency of Titabar.
“Modi does not have the guts to fight against injustice done by the rich. He can only harass poor guys like Rohith Vemula and Kanhaiya Kumar. Who wears a suit worth Rs.15 lakh? I have never seen such a suit,” he said.
Stating that his childhood has been spent in the tea gardens and villages of the area, Gogoi said: “I have seen the people of the remote areas very closely. I can feel their pain, pleasure, their expectations…”
“We have not seen such a prime minister who does nothing but spreads misinformation.
“He mocked me as an old man. But let me say that I might be aging, but I still hold the strength to work for the people of my state. Even if I attain hundred years, I will still hold the power to work as a 50-year-old leader. This is the same reason for which people of Assam, irrespective of men and women, caste and religion, are with me. The victory of the Congress in Assam is obvious and unstoppable,” Gogoi said.
Modi, during his public rallies in Assam on Saturday and Sunday, said he respects Gogoi who will be turning 90 in the next couple of years.
“The BJP, which terms me an inefficient CM, awards me for development. A few months back, (Home Minister) Rajnath Singh, awarded me in a programme organised by India Today for remarkable achievement in the road and transport sector in the state.
“In a survey of India Today, it was also revealed that Assam, which was in the 19th position in terms of development among the states of India, has now proceeded to the seventh position.
“Likewise, the same BJP has awarded me for achievement in power sector in the state,” he said.
Gogoi said he does not have “any personal enmity” with Modi.
“But I am against his false promises and injustice towards the state. My people have elected me to power to fight for the state. I have to raise my voice for my state and I have to protest if there is injustice,” he said.
“Assam reels under floods every year. Last year, the state suffered twice. Hundreds died in the floods but the BJP-led government did not take up any initiative to solve the problem. They cut flood relief fund. Modi could not even take out time to visit the state and see the plight of the people,” Gogoi said.
Ridiculing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “chaiwala” tag, CPI(M) politburo member Brinda Karat on Sunday said he had “bulldozed” the rights of tea garden labourers in Assam. “Modiji, you said in a rally in Assam that you sold Assam tea and are so indebted to the state. But answer the people what you have done for tea garden workers. You and your policies have bulldozed them,” Karat said at an election rally here. The central government has stopped the ration for tea garden workers after the BJP-led NDA came to power, she said.
“You have not given the ST status to six tribes, among which one is tea tribe. And you talk about being a chaiwala! You are far away from the problems of tea garden workers,” Karat said. The senior CPI(M) leader charged Modi with violating the Model Code of Conduct by announcing to offer various packages to different areas. “If Modi comes as a PM, then he cannot do politics. If he comes as a BJP or RSS man, then he can do politics. I want to ask the Election Commission that if he comes as PM and then announces packages, will it not violate the Model Code of Conduct,” she asked.
Karat, however, exuded confidence that people of Assam would reject such politics of package as was done by people during Delhi and Bihar polls. She alleged that BJP was trying to divide people on communal lines and doing politics of “nationalism” by curbing freedom of expression in universities. Karat also criticised the “corrupt” Congress government for failing to work for all-round development of the state. She said both BJP and Congress were responsible for rising prices of essential commodities. Talking about MGNREGA scheme, Karat said “The Act says you should get 100 days work in a rural area. But in Assam, last year on an average 31 days of work were give, while it was 40 days in Gujarat. But in Tripura, where there is a Left Front government, 93 days of work were given. “Only two per cent families in Assam got 100 days of work and it is just three per cent in Gujarat.
However, the figure for Tripura is 52 per cent. Karat alleged that the 15-year rule of Congress had witnessed numerous clashes among different communities in Assam. (Agencies)