Agartala, Feb. 7 (IANS): The BJP governments both at the Centre and in the states are doing only publicity to deceive people, former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said here on Wednesday, adding that the BJP has failed to keep any of its promises.
He alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is the most corrupt political party in India.
“The BJP led governments both at the Centre and in the states are doing only publicity. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party at the Centre and in states failed to keep a single promise. The BJP is the most corrupt political party in India now,” the veteran Congress leader told the media.
“Many incumbent central ministers, ruling party leaders and their family members are involved in corruption cases. BJP President Amit Shah’s son himself is involved in enormous corruptions.”
On his former ministerial colleague Himanta Biswa Sarma, the former Assam Chief Minister said that the BJP earlier levelled huge corruption charges against Sarma, but “now the saffron party made him not only a very powerful minister in Assam but also gave him an authority to look after the party affairs of many northeastern states including Tripura”.
“Earlier BJP accused me that I was protecting a corrupt man like Sarma, now who is protecting and patronising him (Sarma),” Gogoi asked.
“Sarma was involved in Louis Berger bribery scandal, Sarada and Rose Valley chit fund scams. Himanta’s houses were raided by CBI. Now Gauhati High Court again asked CBI to probe the Louis Berger bribery scandal,” he stated.
“India has never had a Prime Minister like Narendra Modi who commits wrong every moment. He always makes false promises to people. Modi promised to bring back black money from abroad and distribute them among masses, but he did nothing.
“The Congress is against division of Tripura. The BJP, before the Assam assembly elections in 2016, had promised separate state of Bodoland and separate Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao state, but the party did nothing. The BJP is pursuing the divide and rule policy,” Gogoi added.
He further stated: “There is not much difference between BJP and CPI-M (Communist Party of India-Marxist). Both parties have failed to serve the people.”
Gogoi, who came here on Wednesday to campaign for the party for the February 18 assembly elections in Tripura, said that all sections of people including employees, farmers, students, youths and other working class people are unhappy under the governance of the BJP both at the Centre and in the states.
“The people of Tripura have similar experience under the Left rule. Prices of essentials are rising fast and the BJP government is mute, giving all sorts of support to millionaires and corporates.”
The BJP has forged an electoral alliance with the N.C. Debbarma faction of the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT), which has been agitating to divide the state to form a separate state containing the TTAADC areas. The leading partner fielded 51 candidates leaving nine seats to the IPFT.
Elections to the 60-member Tripura assembly will be held on February 18 and the counting of votes will take place on March 3.
The Congress leader said that the situation in BJP-ruled Assam is worsening every day.
“The BJP government at the Centre had stopped the central funding pattern of 90:10 ratio (in any project and scheme central government funded 90 per cent of the total cost while the concerned state bore the rest of 10 per cent) to the northeastern states.
“The present central government had also reduced the extent of North East Industrial and Investment Promotion Policy (NEIIPP),” he added.
The NEIIPP was launched by the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government to boost the industry and investment in the northeastern region.
“There is no basic difference in UPA government’s ‘Look East’ and BJP government’s ‘Act East’ policy. Just to deceive the people, the BJP government has been changing the names of UPA government’s policies, schemes and projects,” Gogoi added.
