Guwahati, Nov 5 (IANS): The Congress in Assam claimed on Friday that according to data from the Public Affairs Index-2021 (PAI), the BJP's handling of governance in Assam has led to the state slipping to the 14th position among 18 states of the country, a matter of deep concern and shame for the people of the state.

Assam Congress General Secretary Bobbeeta Sharma said "It is dismaying that the BJP is busy grabbing power at any cost when the people of the state are finding it hard and extremely difficult to make ends meet."

Sharma, who is also the chief spokesperson of the Congress in the state, claimed that since the BJP came to power the rate of unemployment has increased rapidly in the state as well as the country. "Before the elections, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had promised jobs to 25 lakh unemployed youth but we have not seen any steps being taken in this regard. The BJP government is pushing the youth towards a dark future," Sharma said, demanding swift steps to address the unemployment problem plaguing the state. The government which promised development and 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' has not done anything for the development or welfare of the people, she told the media.

The Congress leader said that while the BJP government has been making announcements of setting up medical colleges one after another, the reality is that there is a shortage of 1,382 doctors across the state. Along with growing maternal mortality, Assam stands in third position in the infant mortality rate as 80 out of every 1000 new-born infants die in Assam, she added.

There are no Intensive Care Units in hospitals in 16 of the 34 districts of the state, the Congress leader said, asking the BJP government to stop misleading the people with false promises and get down to the real business of governance that will touch every aspect of people's lives.