Congress fires 10 questions at BJP during Amit Shah’s Assam visit

Guwahati, Jan 30: With Union Home Minister Amit Shah on a visit to Assam, the Congress on Friday launched a scathing attack on the BJP, posing 10 pointed questions and asking why the people of Assam and the entire Northeast have been “politically orphaned” despite a decade of BJP rule.

Addressing the issue through a series of posts on microblogging site, Congress media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said Shah’s visit was a “welcome step” from a party that, according to him, has largely ignored the sufferings and aspirations of the Northeast.

The Congress leader said the party had “10 questions from the BJP’s 10 years in power in Assam” and urged Shah to seek answers from his “disciple ‘Bhumi-Bikreta’ Himanta Biswa Sarma” while touring the state.

At the forefront of the Congress’s criticism was the continued delay in granting Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to six communities.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised ST status within six months. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma promised it in five years. It has now been 12 years. Why is there still no ST status for the Koch-Rajbongshi, Tai Ahom, Moran, Matak, Chutia and the Tea Tribes/Adivasi?” Khera asked.

The Congress also alleged large-scale alienation of indigenous land. Khera questioned why the government had “enabled the sale of 1.5 lakh bighas of land belonging to Assam’s indigenous people to cronies” and why Sarma was allegedly being given a free hand in such matters.

Raising concerns over employment and migration, Khera said that while land, rivers and forests were being “handed away,” job opportunities remained scarce. “Why are Assamese youths forced to migrate to other states and face discrimination there?” he asked.

The erosion of Assamese identity also featured prominently in the Congress’s attack. Khera questioned why lakhs of indigenous voters had allegedly disappeared from electoral rolls and why the government had failed to safeguard cultural and demographic interests.

On the tea sector, the Congress demanded to know why there was still no minimum support price (MSP) for Assam’s tea cultivators, accusing the BJP of being “in the pockets of big tea companies.”

Healthcare and environmental concerns were also raised.

“After a decade in power, why does Assam still lag behind in healthcare infrastructure? Does your government not care about the wellbeing of Assamese people?” Khera asked, while also questioning the deterioration of water quality in the state. “Why has poison entered Assam’s waters, and what concrete steps have been taken to improve water quality?” he said.

Invoking the BJP’s slogan of “Jati, Mati, Bheti” (community, land and hearth), Khera alleged betrayal. “You came with the promise to protect Jati, Mati and Bheti, yet you weakened the Jati, sold the Mati and betrayed the Bheti. Why?” he asked.

Khera further broadened the attack to include the entire region, asking why the people of Assam and the Northeast had been “politically orphaned” under BJP rule.

He also linked Assam’s security concerns to India’s foreign policy, alleging that the Centre’s failures had pushed Bangladesh closer to China, thereby creating fresh security and humanitarian challenges for Assam.

“We have full faith in your legendary ability to get answers to these questions. In the coming months, we will continue to look to you for many more such answers,” Khera said.

Amit Shah arrived in Dibrugarh around midnight on Thursday and was received by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, members of the state cabinet and senior officials. This is Shah’s second visit to Assam since December 29, as the BJP gears up to retain power for a third consecutive term in the upcoming Assembly elections.

With inputs from PTI