'Why Northeast politically orphaned': Congress poses 10 questions to BJP on Assam

Pawan Khera said the Congress has 10 questions from the BJP's 10 years in power in Assam, and while there, the Home Minister must seek answers from his "disciple 'Bhumi-Bikreta' Himanta Biswa Sarma".

New Delhi: With Home Minister Amit Shah visiting Assam, the Congress on Friday posed 10 questions to the BJP and asked why have the people of state and the entire Northeast been "politically orphaned".

Taking a swipe at the BJP, Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said Shah's visit was a "welcome step" from a party that is known to ignore the sufferings of Northeast.

He said the Congress has 10 questions from the BJP's 10 years in power in Assam, and while there, the Home Minister must seek answers from his "disciple 'Bhumi-Bikreta' Himanta Biswa Sarma".

"(Prime Minister Narendra) Modi promised six months. Himanta promised five years. It has been 12 years - why is there still no ST status for Koch-Rajbongshi, Tai Ahom, Moran, Matak, Chutia, and the Tea Tribes/Adivasi?" Khera said in his post on X.

Why has the government enabled the sale of 1.5 lakh bighas of land belonging to Assam's indigenous people to cronies and why does Sarma get a free hand, he asked.

"While land, rivers, and forests are being handed away - where are the jobs? Why must Assamese youth migrate and face discrimination elsewhere?" the Congress leader said.

Why is Assamese identity under erosion and why have lakhs of indigenous voters disappeared from electoral rolls, Khera further asked.

The Congress leader questioned as to why there is still no MSP for Assam's tea cultivators.

"After a decade in power, why does Assam still lag in healthcare? Does your government not care about the wellbeing of Assamese people? Why has poison entered Assam's waters? What concrete steps have you taken to improve water quality?" Khera said.

"You came with the slogan Jati, Mati, Bheti - yet you weakened the Jati, sold the Mati, and betrayed the Bheti. Why?" he said.

Why have the people of Assam - and the entire Northeast - been politically orphaned, Khera asked.

"Your foreign policy failures have handed Bangladesh closer to China, creating new security and humanitarian challenges for Assam. Why?" he said.

"We have full faith in your legendary ability to get answers to these questions. In the coming months, we will continue to look to you for many more such answers," Khera said.

Shah reached Dibrugarh around midnight on Thursday and was received by Chief Minister Sarma, Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal, several members of the state cabinet and senior officials.

This is Shah's second visit, since December 29, to Assam, where the ruling BJP is aiming to retain power in the state for the third consecutive term in the upcoming assembly elections.