Gogoi dares BJP on flood relief to Assam

“When Modi took charge, everyone thought India will undergo a great change for the better. What has happened now?

BY OUR STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI, Sept 22: Accusing the BJP of spreading rumours regarding funds for flood relief and rehabilitation, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Tuesday dared the BJP to show on paper, how much funds the Centre has released so far under this heading.

“I don’t have enough funds. The Centre has not released any amount for flood relief and rehabilitation. Let the BJP show how much money the State has and how much the Centre has released so far,” Gogoi said.

Sharpening his attack further on the saffron party and its leaders, Gogoi said, “The BJP MPs from Assam don’t have courage at all. They lack the guts to speak up in Delhi.” He warned that development will come to a halt if the Centre doesn’t allot funds to the State in the wake of the flood havoc.

Stating that he will issue a white paper on funds received by the State in the last fifteen years, Gogoi said, “I’ll issue a white paper on funds allotted by the previous NDA regime, the UPA regime and the present NDA government at the Centre. I dare the BJP to issue one on the same.”

Reiterating that the BJP government is not a government for the poor, he said, “Who halted appointments when the AGP was in power in Assam? It was the NDA government at the Centre that did it. The BJP government is for those who wear suits and boots, it is not for the poor.”

“When Modi took charge, everyone thought India will undergo a great change for the better. What has happened now? Is it the change people wanted? Our special status is gone, now no Northeastern state enjoys it. In Gujarat too, which is the home state of Modi, the situation is such that even SMSes are being blocked,” Gogoi said.

Speaking on the Hindu immigrants issue, Gogoi said, “BJP is playing politics in the me of Hindu immigrants. But we have always been raising the issue on humanitarian grounds. The Assam government too took a cabinet decision on the same, but ours was not based on religion. For us, anyone who came here due to persecution should be treated humanely. But the BJP is giving a religious colour to the entire issue.”