AJP launches seedling drive to help flood-hit farmers resume cultivation; Lurinjyoti Gogoi slams Assam govt

The Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) has intensified its seedling collection, distribution and plantation campaign to help farmers affected by the recent floods return to cultivation, with party president Lurinjyoti Gogoi sharply criticising the state government’s flood management and relief distribution mechanism.

Addressing reporters, Gogoi said the AJP had set a target of collecting one lakh bundles of paddy seedlings to meet the requirements of flood-hit farmers in Sivasagar and Charaideo districts.

He said more than 5,000 bundles of seedlings had already been collected, with people from different parts of Assam extending voluntary support to the initiative.

“Paddy seedlings are arriving from places such as Goalpara, Lakhimpur, Namsai, Sadiya, Ekpathar and Palashbari. People from across Assam are coming forward spontaneously to support flood-affected farmers,” Gogoi said.

He added that paddy transplantation could still be carried out in areas where floodwaters had receded, and the party would undertake seedling distribution and plantation activities on a war footing over the next few days.

Gogoi also appealed to farmers whose seedlings had not been damaged by the floods to donate their surplus seedlings instead of allowing them to go to waste.

Alongside the seedling initiative, AJP volunteers have launched cleanliness drives at namghars, schools and flood-affected households. Party workers have also begun assisting farmers in transplanting paddy seedlings in agricultural fields across affected areas.

Criticising the state government’s flood relief operations, Gogoi alleged that the materials announced by the government were not being distributed properly and that several complaints had been raised regarding the quality of relief supplies.

He also demanded transparency regarding the collection and utilisation of funds linked to the Orunodoi scheme for flood relief.

Targeting the Centre, the AJP president alleged that no special financial package had been announced for Assam despite the severity of the flood situation. He also claimed that the state had not received the full relief assistance it was entitled to.

Gogoi further alleged that illegal coal mining, deforestation and unregulated stone extraction had contributed to worsening the flood situation in Assam.

The AJP’s campaign comes amid extensive flood-related damage to agricultural land in Upper Assam, particularly in Sivasagar and Charaideo, where thousands of farmers have suffered losses due to the destruction of standing crops and paddy seedlings.

The party said its ongoing initiative aims to ensure that farmers are able to resume cultivation in areas where floodwaters have receded and prevent the loss of the current agricultural season.