In Guwahati, Pawan Khera, a senior Congress leader, accused the BJP government in Assam of deceiving the public, claiming that the government had failed to fulfill its promises for over a decade.
Addressing a press conference, he also alleged that the wealth of BJP leaders' families had increased significantly.
Khera stated that the ruling party uses various tactics, including religion, language, food, and clothing, to divert attention from real issues.
Referring to the popular Hindi film "Bunty aur Babli," which tells the story of two con artists, Khera argued that the state government was essentially functioning like "Bunty aur Babli." He urged voters to "stop the release of its second part" by voting the BJP out of power.
The first part of the film was released in 2005, and its sequel in 2021.
Accusing the government of widespread corruption, Khera stated that he had observed a pattern in the wealth increase of BJP ministers and MLAs, based on information from their election affidavits. He pointed out that while the assets of these officials remained the same or even decreased, their wives' assets had increased significantly.
Khera claimed that Kaushik Rai's wife's assets had increased by 2,281%, while those of MLA Diganta Kalita had increased by 3,185%. Similarly, the assets of the spouses of Manab Deka and Bhaskar Sharma had increased by 763% and 504%, respectively.
Khera further alleged that the BJP government had failed to fulfill its promises to the people over the past decade, and that it had also failed to control the annual flooding and make the state corruption-free. He also criticized the government for not providing adequate employment opportunities and ensuring the welfare of tea garden workers.
Khera also accused the BJP of using the issue of Bangladeshi migrants to gain votes, while failing to address illegal immigration during its tenure. He claimed that only 2,566 illegal immigrants had been deported since 2014, compared to 88,792 by the Congress-led UPA government from 2005 to 2013.
Khera also criticized the government for failing to improve the healthcare and education systems in the state. He pointed out a shortage of doctors and surgeons in government hospitals, as well as nutritional deficiencies among pregnant women.
He also stated that 8,000 government schools had been closed since 2015.
Regarding the BJP's promise of implementing a Uniform Civil Code, Khera argued that the party was using divisive tactics to manipulate the upcoming election. He claimed that the BJP was using language, law, religion, food, and clothing to distract attention from the alleged theft of 12,000 bighas of land.
The Congress has been accusing the family of the chief minister of grabbing 12,000 bighas of land.
Dismissing the chief minister's claim that the Congress was politicizing the death of singer Zubeen Garg, Khera stated that seeking justice for Zubeen Garg was not political. He questioned why a weak chargesheet had been filed, leading to the freezing of the accounts of a key accused.
Khera also asserted that the contest in the state was between "honest and brave Congress versus dishonest and cowardly Congress, whose leader is Sarma." He was referring to the chief minister's past affiliation with the Congress party.
Khera concluded by stating that "the real Congress will win" in the upcoming elections.