Assam: BJP pooh-poohs Congress Lok Sabha poll manifesto

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: The State BJP came down heavily on the Lok Sabha manifesto of the Congress.

Addressing the media at Atal Bihari Vajpayee Bhawan here today, the State BJP’s chief spokesperson, Manoj Baruah, said, “Neck deep in political appeasement, the Congress has been interfering into the personal rights of the people of the country, which is why, despite the party ruling the country for 60 years, it failed to develop the country. On the contrary, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi came at the helm of affairs in 2014, the country made strides on all fronts.”

Baruah said that the Congress shifted its policy from ‘Gandhism’ to ‘Maoist communism’. He said that many of the decisions declared by the Congress in its election manifesto will pose a threat to fundamental and citizen rights, in addition to the internal rules and regulations of the country. The decision taken by Congress to inquire into the personal deposits and personal property, including the fixed deposits of the lower and upper middle-class families, goes against the fundamental rights of any citizen, he said. The declaration of the party to investigate the ornaments of women in the country is nothing but a manifestation of the Maoist communism’s character in Congress, he said.

Baruah further said that the erstwhile Congress governments in 1963 and 1974 imposed the Compulsory Deposit Scheme Act, through which all taxpayers, property holders, and government employees had to deposit 18 percent of their income to the government. The latest decisions taken by the Congress in its election manifesto are a pointer to those evil decisions of the erstwhile Congress governments, he said. He also alleged that the election manifestos of the Congress have all along been filled with assurances aimed at political appeasement.

He said that the family-centric Congress leaders bled the country dry by looting its resources but did precious little for the development of the country.

On the contrary, in the past ten years, the BJP-led government has made development happen in the Northeast, along with the rest of the country, he said. “Chanting the development mantra, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid as many as 27 visits to Assam and over 50 visits to the entire Northeast in the past ten years. This led to unprecedented development in Assam on all fronts: connectivity, communication, infrastructure, agriculture, education, the health sector, etc. Apart from this, India has its say in international socio-economic and political scenarios through its foreign policy.”

Enumerating a few success stories of the BJP-led government, Baruah said, “The successful landing of Chandrayaan 3 on the surface of the moon, the successful launch of Aditya L1 to observe the solar atmosphere, elevating India to the fifth spot in the world economy, robust development in national security, etc.”

He further said, “Peace prevails in Assam and the Northeast, which were infested with bandh, dharna, and insurgency in the past. The government signed five peace accords with the Bodo, Karbi, Dimasa, Adivasi rebels, and the ULFA. This has caused the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) to remain confined to only four districts in the state. Around 75 percent of the of the areas in the Northeast are outside the purview of the AFSPA now. This is why the people of the country have pledged to back the BJP for peace and development in the country.”

The State BJP’s media convener, Dewan Dhrubajyoti Maral, was also present at the press briefing.

 Also Read: ‘BJP destroying principles of democracy’: Rajya Sabha MP Ajit Kumar Bhuyan (sentinelassam.com)

Also Watch: