Congress betrayed indigenous youths for vote-bank politics, says BJP’s State Chief Spokesperson

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on July 1 launched a scathing attack on the Congress party accusing it of evicting indigenous youths from government-allotted land in Barkhetri and resettling suspected individuals for political gain. The allegation was made by BJP’s state chief spokesperson Kishor Upadhyay.

Upadhyay alleged that in the year 2000, under the leadership of then-MLA Pulakesh Baruah, around 82 bighas of land in Bakrikuchi (Barkhetri) were allotted to unemployed indigenous youths. This allotment was done under the name of the Barkhetri Educated Unemployed Association and was meant to provide farming opportunities to the local youth.

However, Upadhyay said that the dreams of these youths were crushed when former Congress MLA and minister Dr. Bhumidhar Barman evicted them from the land. He claimed that Dr. Barman later illegally resettled suspected individuals with doubtful identity in the same area. According to him, this move was a part of the Congress party’s vote-bank politics, which, he said has historically supported people with roots in East Bengal over local indigenous communities.

The land in question, Upadhyay said was officially classified as a Grazing Reserve, and a court had issued an eviction order way back in 2011. Despite multiple attempts, the individuals who were resettled could not get any legal protection and were ultimately removed from the site. He said this incident shows  how the Congress party has consistently ignored the rights and interests of indigenous people in Assam.

He further praised Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma and the BJP government for taking concrete steps to safeguard indigenous rights. According to him, the state government’s continuous efforts to evict illegal settlers from government lands, forest areas, wetlands and religious institution lands (Xatra lands) have been firm and commendable.

Upadhyay also said that Rajya Sabha MP Ajit Kumar Bhuyan was involved in serious corruption.He claimed that Bhuyan had misused MPLAD (Members of Parliament Local Area Development) funds and accused him of approving multiple ghost projects that only exist on paper.

Some of the questionable projects named by Upadhyay included Seuj Namghar Road in Kahilipara, Noonmati Sahil Nagar School Road, Krishnamandir Road in Rangia, Komola Mikir Road in Lokhra and several others in Saokuchi, Bihdia, and Shalmari. In total, Upadhyay claimed that 44 such projects are under scrutiny for alleged financial misconduct.

He challenged Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi to speak out against Ajit Bhuyan’s alleged corruption just as he raised questions about the Gorukhuti project. Upadhyay said that unlike in Bhuyan’s case, no irregularities were found in the Gorukhuti project after inspection.

Upadhyay also said  that the police have submitted a charge sheet against MP Ajit Bhuyan in connection with the corruption charges. He appealed to the President of India to grant the necessary permission to proceed with legal prosecution against the MP.