Ours is a government for the service of people: Sonowal

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, June 22: Chief Minister Sarbanda Sonowal  today reminded all BJP leaders and cadres that ‘pride comes before a fall’.  He said that neither the government nor the party is above the people of the State, and as such his government will be always be at the service of people for their welfare.   

Taking part at the executive meeting of the party here today, Sonowal, who still holds the post of party president in the State,  said: “Ours is a government of the people. We will be with the people, and give them utmost importance. We need to boost government-party coordition. We should remain alert against corruption, besides respecting work culture. If Prime Minister rendra Modi can work for 18 hours a day, why can we work for ten hours daily? Our party workers should also work harder than ever before.”

According to party sources, Sonowal expressed his displeasure over the preceding government for leaving a number of works and schemes incomplete, besides passing on quite a few burdens on the new government. “The previous government assured all civic bodies of releasing each of them Rs 50 crore, but left that burden on us. Likewise, on the Anundoram Barooah Award for meritorious students in the State, the former Government paid only Rs 30 crore, and Rs 125 crore is still to be paid. This apart, only Rs 5 crore of Rs 100 crore for the purchase of yarn has been paid. In the scheme meant for the distribution of bicycles, only Rs 5 crore of Rs 60 crore was paid. In the Rs 2 a kg rice scheme, Rs 100 crore is still to be paid,” party sources quoted the Chief Minister as saying at the meeting.

The executive committee of the BJP Assam Pradesh has hailed the emergent steps taken by  the rendra Modi-led NDA Government at the Centre in the past two years and the Sarbanda Sonowal-led government at Dispur, besides adopting a few political resolutions.

The executive committee of the BJP Assam Pradesh today met for the first time today after the party forming its government, together with the AGP and the BPF, at Green Wood Resort at Khapara in the city today.

The executive committee meeting hailed Chief Minister Sarbanda Sonowal for giving pace to work culture in the State. The 100-day action plan drawn by Sonowal for various departments and steps taken by his Cabinet for the welfare of the people of the State were highly appreciated by the meeting. As stated in the vision document in the run-up to the recent Assembly election in the State, the meeting found that the State Government laid stress on NRC update, dismantling illegal check-gates, plantation drive to make the State  pollution-free, free of cost education for poor students, regularization of salaries of TET teachers, measures to make Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) free from corruption, tough steps to stop the killing rhino, schemes taken to free xatra lands from encroachment, fixing time-schedule for the completion of bridges over the Brahmaputra, measures to seal the intertiol border between India and Bangladesh in the Assam sector, expansion of double track of railways up to Guwahati, the scheme for dredging of the Brahmaputra, the decision of open a new department for skill development in the State so as to ease out the problem of unemployment, regularization of jobs of as many as 7,234 TET teachers, etc., were applauded by the meeting.

The meeting also resolved to back all steps to be taken by Sonowal and his Cabinet for the welfare of the people of the State in the future.   

Besides expressing concern over the poor fincial health of the State when it was handed over to the new government by the Congress Government, the meeting kept its hopes alive that the government would be able to bring the fincial condition of the State back on track. Besides thanking Prime Minister rendra Modi for his assurance to help out Assam to rescue it from the current cash crunch, the meeting appealed to the Prime Minister extend fincial assistance to the State to rescue the State from its current plight.

The meeting also kept it hopes alive that the new government at Dispur would take steps to put an end to the 15-year-long corruption raj in the State and take steps to punish the corrupt people. The meeting also appreciated Chief Minister Sarbanda Sonowal’s decision to form anti-corruption squads in the State.

The meeting appealed to the State government to strengthen the collapsed public distribution system (PDS) in the State, besides giving a respite to the farmers by reviving the Agriculture Department in the State. The meeting requested Dispur to implement Central agricultural schemes meant for the benefit of the farmers properly so as to give the farmers of the State a succour, besides reviving the ailing and dead industries in the State.

The meeting was also all praise for the two-year rule of the Prime Minister. The steps taken by the Prime Minister at all levels, including steps taken for the Northeast, got the appreciation of the meeting. The meeting felt that in just two years, Modi did enough to boost the image of India in rest of the world.  

The meeting also thanked the people of Assam for voting the BJP to power in the State.   

Earlier in the day, the office-bearers meeting of the party was held at New MLA Hostel. The matters discussed and sorted out at the office-bearers’ meeting, according to rules, are discussed in detail at the executive committee meeting for taking resolutions in them.

Besides Sonowal as party president, party’s tiol leader Ajay Jamwal, all party MPs and MLAs of the State and other office-bearers were present at both the meetings. tiol BJP general secretary Ram Madhab was also present at the executive committee meeting.  

As many as 243 of the 299 executive members were present at the meeting.