GUWAHATI: The ‘grand alliance’ of Congress, All India United Democratic Front, three Left Parties and Anchalik Gana Morcha, countered Prime Minister’s charges that the previous governments neglected Assam, particularly the north bank of the Brahmaputra
Addressing a joint media conference here on Monday afternoon, leaders of the ‘Mahajoot’, as the alliance is also referred to, asserted that the allegation against the previous governments meting out step-motherly treatment to the north bank of Assam does not hold good.
“The BJP government has withdrawn the special category status from Assam, with the state losing Rs 8400 crore of central funds every year. Is this not step-motherly treatment? Besides not a penny has been paid in the name of floods since 2017….is this not step motherly treatment,” asked Congress leader Ripun Bora.
Taking potshots at Modi for promising to visit Assam frequently till the Assembly poll dates were announced, Bora said the Prime Minister could come as many times to the state, but the visits would be like the routine pre-poll tours, only to woo more voters for votes.”
He also slammed the Prime Minister for not appealing to ULFA (I) to free from its captivity the two abducted employees of an oil company.
Anchalik Gana Morcha working president Manjit Mahanta also took a dig at Modi’s inspiration to visit Assam frequently ahead of the polls, “but not doing the same when five youths died during the anti-CAA movement”.
“BJP has used the Prime Minister to campaign for the party in a government programme….Are you scared of the Grand Alliance? And then you also talk about bagging 100 plus seats,” he asked.
AIUDF general secretary Aminul Islam, speaking in the same vein, said the frequent visits of the Prime Minister only showed “how alarmed the BJP is.”
Islam also slammed the Assam government for its “failure to complete the NRC.” “The government has indulged in delaying tactics as far as the NRC is concerned because CAA cannot be implemented with NRC in place,” he added.
The AIUDF leader also criticised the BJP government for its failure to solve the issues along the international border or to prevent construction of big dams in the state.
Deben Bhattacharya of CPM alleged that the BJP government has brought the party and the government on the same pedestal, which was not right.