‘Rs 9,000 before polls won’t save BJP’: Pawan Khera targets Himanta Biswa Sarma

Senior Pawan Khera of the Indian National Congress on March 11 said that the “last-minute” initiatives taken by the government of Himanta Biswa Sarma, including the distribution of financial assistance to women, will not help the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) return to power in Assam in the upcoming Assembly elections.

Addressing a press conference in Guwahati, the All India Congress Committee’s media and communications chairman alleged that the BJP-led government in the state works primarily for the interests of its ministers, including the chief minister.

Responding to allegations made by the BJP regarding the alleged Pakistan links of Gaurav Gogoi, Khera claimed that Sarma had met a cleric in Dhaka before joining the BJP in 2015. “I challenge him to deny it. He joined the BJP on the advice of that cleric,” Khera said. There was no immediate response from the chief minister or the BJP on the allegation.

Khera said that Sarma had left the Congress to join the BJP in 2015 and subsequently played a key role in helping the party secure its first victory in the Assam Assembly elections in 2016. However, he expressed confidence that under the leadership of Gaurav Gogoi, the Congress and its allies would form the next government in the state and introduce what he described as a “new Assam model.”

Drawing an analogy, Khera said some students do not study throughout the year and begin preparing only a few days before examinations. He claimed the BJP government in Assam is in a similar situation, taking sudden steps ahead of elections. “With elections approaching, the government has started distributing ₹9,000 among women, flyovers are being hurriedly constructed and inaugurated, and it has suddenly remembered the issue of proper wages for tea garden workers,” he said.

On Tuesday, the Assam government transferred ₹9,000 each to about 40 lakh women beneficiaries under the Orunodoi Scheme. On the same day, Sarma inaugurated the 4.2-km-long Maharaja Prithu Flyover in Guwahati and announced an increase of ₹30 in the daily wages of tea garden workers from next month.

Khera claimed that just as students who study only at the last moment often fail to perform well, similar last-minute measures by the government will not help the BJP retain power. He also alleged that women in the state have already decided not to tolerate what he described as a corrupt and oppressive administration. The Assam Assembly elections are expected to be held in April.

The Congress leader further alleged that the BJP government prioritises the interests of ministers and their families. “No one can save Himanta Biswa Sarma after the elections, not even his masters in Delhi. After the results are declared, he will be behind bars within weeks,” he claimed.

Khera also criticised what he called the BJP’s “Gujarat model,” alleging that it has benefited only a select few. In contrast, he said the “Assam model” under Gogoi would benefit every citizen of the state.

He also accused the state government of circulating an alleged AI-generated image of modern roads on social media and presenting it as an example of improved infrastructure in Assam. “He claims roads have improved through AI, yet Assam still ranks among the states with poor road conditions,” Khera said.

The Congress leader further alleged that the government has repeatedly resorted to misinformation and claimed it had failed to deliver justice in cases related to prominent artist Zubeen Garg. He said that despite claims of preparing a strong charge sheet, the case was handled poorly, forcing a court to order the unfreezing of the accused’s bank account.

Khera also criticised the government for spending public money on publicity, claiming that he saw more than a thousand banners featuring Narendra Modi and Sarma along the road from the airport. According to him, the BJP government spends nearly ₹100 crore annually on such publicity campaigns, amounting to about ₹500 crore over five years.

Explaining why people should vote for Congress, Khera used the analogy of a flashy new shop versus an old reliable one. “People may initially be attracted to a dazzling new shop, but after being deceived a few times, they return to the old shop that offers honest service. Congress is that reliable old shop,” he said.