Daijiworld Media Network - Guwahati
Guwahati, Feb 19: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday released a 20-point “people’s chargesheet” against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party government in poll-bound Assam, accusing it of corruption, institutionalising “Syndicate Raj” and compromising the interests of indigenous communities.
Ahead of the release, Congress MP Pradyut Bordoloi said the charges were based on feedback gathered from people across different parts of the state.
The document alleged that the BJP government had fostered a parallel economy by encouraging and protecting illegal activities, including rat-hole coal mining, and turning Assam into a conduit for the transportation of illegal Burmese supari, coal, contraband and drugs.
It further accused Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, along with close ministers and family members, of accumulating illegal wealth through an organised syndicate system. The chargesheet claimed that alleged slush funds were invested in ventures such as real estate and shell companies.
On financial management, the Congress alleged that Assam’s outstanding debt had crossed Rs 2 lakh crore, placing a burden on future generations. It claimed the government was taking loans not for productive investments but to fund schemes aimed at electoral gains.
The chargesheet also accused the BJP of undermining the 1985 Assam Accord by failing to implement Clause 6, which guarantees protection of Assamese identity. It alleged that the introduction of the Citizenship Amendment Act and related orders diluted the spirit of the Accord and that the NRC process had been stalled, creating uncertainty among communities.
On governance issues, the Congress claimed the state government had failed to declare recurring floods and riverbank erosion as a national disaster and had not fulfilled its promise to grant Scheduled Tribe status to six communities, including Koch Rajbongshi, Tai Ahom, Moran, Motok, Chutia and Tea Tribes.
The document further alleged weakening of public education, stating that over 9,000 schools were closed or merged without adequate consultation, affecting children from economically weaker sections.
The BJP has not yet issued a detailed response to the charges made in the document.