BJP trying to buy tea workers' votes after failing to keep promises of wage hike and ST status: Gaurav

GUWAHATI: Deputy leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi today accused the BJP government both at the Centre as well as in the state of deceiving the tea community and trying to buy their votes doling out sops on the eve of elections.

Taking a dig at Prime Minister Nadrendra Modi’s speech at Dhekiajuli today, the Congress MP from Kaliabor alleged that as soon as Modi came to power the Jorhat Medical College and Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed Medical College in Barpeta were derecognised jeopardising lives many students.

Gogoi addressed the press at Rajiv Bhavan here soon after Modi’s visit to Dhekiajuli to state that the tea community had two demands -- increasing wage to Rs 351 per day and Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. “Modi has promised them these, but never fulfilled. He should answer if the Rs 1000 crore will be used to increase their wages,” he said.

ALSO READ: BREAKING: Modi announces vernacular medium medical, technical colleges in Assam

Countering Modi’s announcement of vernacular medical and technical education colleges and the claim of rapid progress on AIIMS work in Guwahati, Gogoi said: “As soon as Modi came to power, Jorhat Medical College and Fakharuddin Ali Ahmed Medical College were derecognised and more than 2000 youth’s career was jeopordised.”

“(Former chief minister) Tarun Gogoi sir had laid foundation stone and revamped the medical colleges at Dibrugarh, Guwahati, Jorhat, Barpeta and Tezpur. He had called the 100-seat AIIMS in Guwahati a toy hospital. Modi never fails to make Assam a laughing stock,” he added.

On the Asom Mala project, Gogoi said: “Sagar Mala project was announced four years ago and not even one-fifth of the projects have been completed so far. How do we believe that Assam Mala will be any different?”

“The Jorhat-Majuli bridge was announced in 2016 and remained still incomplete, dredging of 891 km of the Brahmaputra was announced in 2017 and work hasn’t started, Brahmaputra express highways were announced in 2017, work has just started and not even 10 per cent is completed,” he added.

ALSO READ: Centre to set up integrated labs in over 600 dists, says Prime Minister Modi

Countering Modi’s tall claims on implementation of various schemes, the Congress leader, who is the son of tarun Gogoi, alleged corruption in “recruitment to 145 posts in panchayat and rural development department, Assam Fishery Development Corporation scam of Rs 300 crore, coal scams of Barak Valley where enforcement directorate had to come and stop coal mining in Margherita, PMKISAN scams by creating false beneficiaries,  scholarship for minorities student’s scams of Rs 500 crore, unutilised Rs 19,000 crore scam and the police sub inspector recruitment scam” over the past four years.

About infrastructure development claims, Gogoi alleged that the national highway projects were snail paced, river bridge projects were initiated by Congress governments and airport projects were yet to be initiated. He also pointed at the privatisation of the LGBI Airport here.

Gogoi, further criticised the BJP governments both at the Centre as well as in the state for failing to take a single step to deal with the flood menace of the state.

Describing Sarusajai Sports Complex as a great work of the Congress government, he said the Sarbananda Sonowal government could not build a single new stadium or sports venue.