Modi hijacks credit for Dhola-Sadiya: Gogoi

BY OUR STAFF REPORTER

Guwahati, May 27: Claiming that the Dhola-Sadiya bridge was the brainchild of the previous Congress regimes, both in Delhi and Dispur, former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Saturday accused Prime Minister rendra Modi of doing politics to hijack the credit of giving India’s longest bridge to Assam for the BJP.

The Dhola-Sadiya bridge over Lohit river, a tributary of the mighty Brahmaputra in upper Assam’s Tinsukia district, was iugurated by the Prime Minister Modi on Friday. The 9.15-km-long bridge was constructed at a cost of Rs 950 crore and will connect Assam with eastern Aruchal Pradesh, bordering Chi. The bridge will strategically play a crucial role for India’s defense in case of any attempt by Chi to launch an offensive.  

Tarun Gogoi told reporters here on Saturday afternoon that the bridge was conceptualized and its feasibility report was prepared in 2009 by the then UPA government under the leadership Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He said prelimiry construction works of the bridge were started in 2011 when the same UPA government was in power at the Centre.

“My government in Assam played a crucial role in expediting construction of the Dhola-Sadiya bridge. But Modi, while iugurating the bridge on Friday, said the project was approved by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, which is absolutely false. Modi even said the dream of Vajpayee has come true following the iuguration of the bridge,” Gogoi said.

Gogoi, one of the strongest critics of the Prime Minister Modi, said such a lie about the Dhola-Sadiya bridge will not be digested by the people of Assam. He said such lies only to do politics and hijack credit for the BJP do not suit a Prime Minister.

“More than a BJP leader Modi is the Prime Minister of the country. He should’ve guts and humility to give credit to the opposition parties where and when they deserve. It is unfortute that Modi did not say a single word about the previous Congress regime’s contributions towards construction of Dhola-Sadiya bridge. Modi could have maintained minimum courtesy by mentioning the me of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,” Gogoi said.

Former three-time Chief Minister Gogoi also took a dig at the Prime Minister for his Friday’s assertion in Assam that the crusade against corruption will continue.

“If Modi is so firm to root out corruption from the system, why is he maintaining silence on a few individuals who are now calling shots in the BJP-led government in Assam? Irrigation Minister Ranjit Kumar Dutta has been accused of being involved in corruption by his department’s officials and contractors,” Gogoi said.   

Gogoi questioned as to why the proposed AIIMS at Changsari in Kamrup district will have only 750 seats. “It will not be a full-fledged AIIMS. It will be a mini AIIMS with 750 seats. The proposal to set up AIIMS in Assam was in fact mooted during the previous UPA regime at the Centre,” he said. Modi on Friday laid the foundation stone of the AIIMS.