Land deals to tea biz takeover: Congress accuses Assam CM Sarma of `looting' state

New Delhi: Congress today accused Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, his family members, and close associates of allegedly looting the state.

Addressing a press conference at the AICC office here today, the Congress general secretary in charge of Assam Jitendra Singh, party Deputy Leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi, senior party leader Pawan Khera, Assam Congress president Bhupen Kumar Borah, CLP leader Debabrata Saikia and MPs Rakibul Hussain & Pradyut Bordoloi, asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is currently on a visit to the state, whether he will take note of his favorite CM’s wanton loot of the state of not.

Giving details, Jitendra Singh revealed that Assam CM Sarma was resorting to corruption of the highest order. He remarked that Sarma, his family members, and close associates were forcibly grabbing the tea business. He said the tea garden owners were threatened and arm-twisted into selling their estates to the CM’s family or close associates.

The Congress general secretary added that the Chief Minister wanted to finish the tea gardens and convert them into commercial properties. He cited the example of a resort built by his family in the Elephant Corridor, which cannot be done legally. He asked the Prime Minister what magic wand he had provided to Sarma that he had turned into a business tycoon within a few years after becoming the Chief Minister.

Singh also referred to the land deals of CM’s family, and his wife getting the franchise of an international fast food outlet and establishing an international school. Taking a dig at Prime Minister Modi’s slogan of ‘sab ka sath, sab ka vikas’, he remarked, in Assam, it has turned into ‘Modi Ji Ka Sath, Himanta Ka Vikas’.

Speaking on the occasion, the PCC president Borah reminded the Prime Minister of his promise to the tea garden workers that their daily wages would be increased to Rs 351 per day. He said that even after eleven years, the tea garden workers are getting Rs 220 to Rs 250 daily. He also reminded the Prime Minister of the promise to six communities, which fall in the Scheduled Tribe category in Odisha and Jharkhand but have not been included in the ST category in Assam.

Congress Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi said the BJP has turned out to be a factory of dishing out fake promises with Modi as its national head, and Assam Chief Minister is its Regional Manager for the North East. Referring to the widespread corruption in Assam by the CM’s family members, he added that they have grabbed land in every district of the state. He said, that while Prime Minister Modi claims himself to be a ‘faqir’, he has surrounded himself with people like Sarma who have purchased hotels, schools, media companies, and many more things. He asked the Prime Minister whether he would launch a probe against Sarma following such revelations.