Raijor Dal chief and Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi on Saturday said the scale of this year’s floods had prompted him to return to street protests, as he criticised the Assam government over relief measures and the detention of party leaders protesting outside Janata Bhawan.
Gogoi has been staging an indefinite protest at the Assam Assembly premises, demanding immediate financial assistance for flood-affected families and an inquiry into the causes of the devastation. He has also sought compensation for families that suffered major losses.
The Raijor Dal chief criticised the detention of party leaders in Guwahati, alleging that police action against protesters had been swift while adequate assistance had not reached affected communities. He claimed residents in several flood-hit areas had largely managed the crisis themselves.
Several Raijor Dal leaders, including Gyanashree Bora, Rasel Hussain, Bhasco De Saikia and Dhaijya Konwar, were detained on Saturday after protesting outside Janata Bhawan, demanding financial assistance for flood victims.
Gogoi said the floods had brought him back to direct mobilisation and vowed to continue the agitation. He also questioned the distribution of compensation and criticised what he described as symbolic forms of protest.
The indefinite agitation began on October 2 after Gogoi alleged that the government had failed to meet its October 1 deadline for distributing promised assistance. He has claimed that 30-40 per cent of flood-affected families in Sivasagar, Charaideo, Jorhat and Golaghat were yet to receive the announced Rs 15,000 interim assistance.
The Assam government has said assistance will be provided, while Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said 55,000 families had already been identified for assistance and that damage assessments were underway.
