Guwahati, March 30: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and senior Congress observer D. K. Shivakumar on March 29 questioned the failure of the BJP-led “double engine” government to grant Scheduled Tribe status to six communities in Assam, despite repeated assurances over the years.
Addressing a Congress election rally in Dispur in support of candidate Meera Borthakur, Shivakumar criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party, alleging that it has not fulfilled key promises over the past decade and has instead pursued divisive politics. He also pointed out that a current BJP candidate in Dispur had previously prepared a chargesheet against Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, challenging that those allegations be discussed publicly.
In a separate remark, Shivakumar expressed concern over the burial site of late Assamese singer Zubeen Garg, stating that a figure of his stature deserved a more prominent memorial location in Guwahati.
Reaffirming Congress’s commitments, Shivakumar said the party would implement its guarantees in Assam in the same manner as in Karnataka if voted to power. These assurances were earlier outlined by Mallikarjun Kharge at a rally in Naoboicha.
Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Gaurav Gogoi, who attended both the Lakhimpur and Dispur events, accused the BJP government of using welfare schemes for political leverage. He alleged that beneficiaries, particularly women, were being threatened with withdrawal of benefits if they failed to attend BJP programmes or listen to the Prime Minister’s “Mann Ki Baat”.
Gogoi stressed that welfare schemes are funded through public taxes and should be delivered without political conditions. He outlined Congress’s proposed measures, including ₹50,000 financial assistance for women entrepreneurs, a monthly pension of ₹1,250 for senior citizens, free health insurance coverage of up to ₹25 lakh per family, and land pattas for 10 lakh indigenous people. He also reiterated a commitment to ensure justice within 100 days in the case related to Zubeen Garg.
Targeting the Chief Minister, Gogoi questioned his credibility and framed the electoral contest as a choice between what he described as the “old tainted Congress” and the “real Congress”.
The rally was also attended by former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, as the Congress intensified its campaign ahead of the April 9 Assembly elections in Assam.
