– Abdul Bari Masoud
New Delhi: A day before PM Modi’s visit to Guwahati, Congress exposed alleged large-scale corruption by Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, accusing his family and associates of looting the state.
At a press conference at AICC, Congress leaders Jitendra Singh, Gaurav Gogoi, Pawan Khera, Bhupen Kumar Borah, Debabrata Saikia, Rakibul Hussain, and Pradyut Bordoloi questioned whether the PM would act against his “favorite CM.”
Jitendra Singh claimed Sarma, and his associates were forcefully acquiring tea estates by threatening owners, aiming to replace them with commercial properties. He cited a resort built by Sarma’s family in an illegal Elephant Corridor. He also questioned how Sarma became a business tycoon within years of taking office.
Singh further alleged shady land deals involving Sarma’s family, his wife’s franchise of an international fast-food chain, and an international school. He mocked Modi’s slogan, saying, “In Assam, it’s Modi ji ka Sath, Himanta ka Vikas.”
PCC president Borah reminded Modi of his unfulfilled promise to raise tea workers’ wages to ₹351 per day, as they still earn only ₹220-₹250. He also highlighted the BJP’s failure to grant ST status to six communities in Assam.
Gaurav Gogoi accused the BJP of making fake promises, calling Modi its “national head” and Sarma the “regional manager” of corruption. He alleged Sarma’s family had grabbed land across Assam and questioned whether Modi would order a probe.
Regarding the attack on Congress MP Rakibul Hussain in Nagaon, Gogoi called it a “murder of democracy” and an attempt to intimidate Congress workers. Party MLAs protested in the Assam Assembly, demanding action but doubting any justice from a CM with a “criminal mind.”
