Staff Reporter
Guwahati: The Congress party evicted genuine indigenous people from land allotted to them and illegally resettled suspected individuals in Barkhetri, alleged BJP’s state chief spokesperson Kishor Upadhyay. He made the statement while addressing the media at the BJP state headquarters in Basistha on Monday.
Upadhyay stated that in 2000, then-MLA Pulakesh Baruah had allotted 82 bighas of land in the Bakrikuchi area of Barkhetri to several unemployed indigenous youths for agricultural purposes. The land was allotted under the banner of the Barkhetri Educated Unemployed Association. However, he alleged that former Congress MLA and minister Dr. Bhumidhar Barman later evicted these youths and resettled suspected individuals in the area. According to Upadhyay, this action was purely driven by vote-bank politics and revealed Congress’s biased sympathy toward suspected illegal immigrants, particularly those with roots in East Bengal.
He further pointed out that the land in question was part of a designated Grazing Reserve and that a court had issued an eviction order as early as 2011. Despite efforts to seek legal protection, the resettled individuals failed to get any relief and were ultimately forced to vacate the land. Upadhyay claimed this incident highlights the Congress party’s long-standing disregard for the rights of indigenous communities.
The BJP spokesperson also praised the initiatives taken by Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma to protect indigenous rights. He cited the state government’s efforts to evict illegal encroachers from government grazing lands, wetlands, forest areas, and Xatra lands as commendable actions.
Upadhyay further leveled serious corruption allegations against MP Ajit Kumar Bhuyan regarding the misuse of MPLAD (Members of Parliament Local Area Development) funds. He challenged Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi to show the same boldness in addressing corruption under Bhuyan as he did in raising concerns about the Gorukhuti project, where no irregularities were found.
Upadhyay alleged that several projects listed under Ajit Bhuyan’s MPLAD funds exist only on paper. These include the construction of Seuj Namghar Road in Kahilipara, Noonmati Sahil Nagar School Road, Krishnamandir Road in Rangia, Komola Mikir Road in Lokhra, Seuj Road and Link Roads in Saokuchi, the road from Cepti-Bihdia to Nankuchi village, and the road from Shalmari Sunday Market to Jalit Ali’s house. He claimed that, in total, 44 such projects are marred by massive corruption.
Upadhyay informed that the police have already submitted a charge sheet against MP Bhuyan, and appealed to the President of India to grant permission to prosecute him.
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