'Spineless government at Dispur allows change in funding pattern'

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, May 20: Trying for resilience in the face of adversity, the AGP today displayed its unity show in Guwahati streets in their protest against, what they call, a number anti-Assam policies taken by the Centre and Dispur.

AGP president Atul Bora, former Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, AGPLP leader Phani Bhushan Choudhury, Keshab Mahanta, Utpal Dutta, Thaneswar Boro, RN Kalita, Pradip Hazarika, Biraj Kumar Sarma, Nurul Hussain, Rekharani Das Boro, former MPs Birendra Prasad Baishya and Kumar Dipak Das took part in a procession taken out by the party from its Ambari head office today in protest against the NDA Government at the Centre stripping Assam of special category status, India-Bangladesh land deal, price hike, going ahead with big dams, etc. The procession was also taken out in support of ST status to six ethnic groups of Assam and implementation of the Assam Accord.

The precisionists reached the Kamrup (M) DC office from the AGP office via Dhighalipukhuri and Panbazar. They held a meeting in front of Meghdoot Bhavan where Atul Bora said: "Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi deceived the people of Assam for 14 years, and Prime Minister rendra Modi deceived Assam within a year. Under the patroge of the Chief Minister, the syndicateraj lashed Assam where people failed to get the benefits of various schemes. All departments are marked by corruption. Before the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP assured the people of Assam on the implementation of the Assam Accord. A year is going to be elapsed, but the BJP-led government at the Centre is doing precious little for the implementation of the Accord."

Bora further said: "The switch over from the 90:10 to 50:50 funding pattern is bound to make Assam suffer. The 90:10 funding pattern is a success story scripted by the AGP during its tenure. Both Dispur and the Centre are responsible for the rollback of this special funding pattern." Former Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta said: "The Congress and the BJP are no different. Both of them are tiol parties with scant regard for the development of the Northeast. The BJP-led government at the Centre has been able to effect the shifting of its funding pattern to Assam from 90:10 to 50:50 only because there's a spineless government at Dispur. The steps taken by the NDA government at Centre has pushed Assam towards a dark future. Both the Congress and the BJP are betrayal."