Ripun Bora blasts BJP over new budget; says it is "bound to fail"

GUWAHATI: Assam Congress president Ripun Bora today said that the state budget 2021-22 has nothing new for the people suffering from abnormal "price rise, youth wrecked by unemployment and people hit by Covid- 19."

Stating that funds from the Centre would be forthcoming, he added that Assam’s tax collection has also suffered from the pandemic and receipts have decreased. "So, the tax collection envisaged in the budget will not be realized and the budget is bound to fail," Ripun Bora said.

He also questioned how the government will manage to keep the other promises after spending Rs. 56,000 crores as salary to the 1 lakh more who will be employed this year.

Bora said that the borrowing till the time of Tarun Gogoi's government in 2016 stood at Rs 35,000 crores which included the terms of late CM Hiteswar Saikia and also Prafulla Mahanta.

"But the BJP Government's borrowing alone in the last five years itself is Rs 47,000 crores and it has led to a credit load of Rs 82,000 crores," he said.

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Bora also said that no permanent women empowerment schemes were adopted and "this budget also has no mention of these."

He further accused the government of betraying the women as their micro-finance loans were not all waived.

The Congressman also questioned why the monthly relief under the Orunodoi scheme has been increased to only Rs 1000 in the budget.

Bora also said that the allocation of "only" Rs 2.7 crore to the Assam Accord Department "reveals the government’s farcical responsibility towards the Assam Accord."

He also questioned why there is no relief for them in the budget for the unorganized working class.

There is no mention in the budget for controlling the abnormal price hike of petrol- diesel- cooking gas and life-saving medicines that is crippling the common man, Ripun Bora further rued.

"Providing employment to 1 lakh unemployed instead of the 38 lakh unemployed youth in the state will be like a drop in an ocean. The budget has also ignored the provincialisation of venture schools and colleges and the regularisation of contract workers in the health and other departments. This is another betrayal in the new budget," he added.

Appreciating the funds allocated for the re-establishment of NDFB surrendered cadres, Bora questioned why the budget has not provided a penny for the surrendered cadres of other militant organizations in the state.

This, Bora said, reflects the irresponsible attitude of the BJP government in the state.

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