Guwahati, April 5: Union minister and senior BJP leader Sarbananda Sonowal assailed the Congress for “only laying foundation stones during its tenure” and “not doing much for development in the Northeast”.
Taking part in poll rallies in Lakhimpur and Dibrugarh constituencies on Friday, Sonowal said, “For more than 60 years of Congress rule, the need and demand for such critical projects fell on deaf ears. It was unimaginable for any popular government to function with such disregard for people’s needs.”
“Congress is just a foundation stone laying government. We have completed most of the foundation stone work that they have laid,” the senior BJP leader said.
Addressing the tea community in Dibrugarh, Sonowal, who is the BJP candidate for Dibrugarh Lok Sabha constituency said, “There was a time when Delhi was a faraway place for the people of the Northeast. However, when Narendra Modi took charge as the leader of the government, this apparently widening hiatus, perpetrated by an insensitive Congress-led government, between Delhi and Dispur or Delhi and Dibrugarh, kept reducing. The flight of development reduced the long-neglected gap between Delhi and Dibrugarh.”
“With more than 60 visits as Prime Minister along with more than thousand visits by various Union Ministers, Modi ji ensured that the doors of Delhi open at the threshold of every corner of the Northeast. To all my brothers and sisters of the tea community, the BJP government has consistently demonstrated goodwill towards you. During our tenure, significant efforts have been made to enhance the quality of life for tea tribal communities through various welfare schemes,” he said.
“Besides, for the first time since Independence, 12 lakh bank accounts have been opened for tea garden workers. Additionally, pregnant tea workers have received a financial grant of Rs 15,000 under the wage compensation scheme, and over 7.5 lakh tea workers have been provided with Rs 8,000 each under the Tea Garden Dhan Puraskar Mela,” Sonowal said.
“Today, people are aware, educated and rooted to the facts of our country. The words by Congress can’t persuade people anymore, but solid development by BJP does. We will only talk about the developments that took place during the days of Modi government, Sonowal said while addressing meetings at Chiring village in Dangori; Jon Kareng in Jonai to muster support for Pradan Baruah, the BJP candidate for Lakhimpur constituency.