Congress accuses CM of deflecting attention from NRC, Assam Accord, public debt

Guwahati, June 12: Primary Opposition, Congress has accused Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of deliberately deflecting public attention from unresolved issues such as the National Register of Citizens (NRC), the Assam Accord, and rising public debt.

Alleging that a section of the political leadership in the state is misleading the people to hide their own administrative failures, Congress MP Rakibul Hussain, during a press conference at Rajiv Bhawan on Wednesday, said, "There is a section of people who, for their political survival, make promises they can’t keep and then resort to confusion and diversion tactics. When the people of Assam are struggling for basic necessities, these leaders push irrelevant narratives to hide their inefficiency. This isn't just misgovernance, it’s manipulation."

He particularly targeted the Chief Minister’s recent remarks on the NRC and questioned the abrupt shift in stance.

“After the final NRC was published on August 31, 2019, the Ministry of Home Affairs clearly instructed that those excluded should not be detained and should continue enjoying all rights till legal remedies are exhausted. Even India’s External Affairs Ministry stood by the NRC process at international platforms. Now the Chief Minister says NRC won’t be implemented in Assam. Is he contradicting the central ministries? Or is he in conflict with himself?” Hussain pointed out.

Hussain also recalled how the NRC was a result of extensive consultations between AASU, the then CM Tarun Gogoi, and former PM Dr. Manmohan Singh, following the framework of the Citizenship Act. He stressed that the process was robust, involving hearings, family tree verifications, and Supreme Court oversight.

Criticising Sarma’s past and present financial policies, Hussain said, “When he was with Tarun Gogoi, Sarma used to say the state was ruined because of a Rs 10,000 crore loan. But today, he is taking loans amounting to Rs 1.52 lakh crore and justifying it. Flyovers are not the only markers of development when the common people still live in distress.”

He reiterated that the core issue of illegal immigration, which the Assam Accord sought to resolve by declaring anyone entering the state after March 25, 1971, as foreigners, remains unresolved due to political meddling.

“Every time a solution nears completion, a section tries to keep the issue alive. Why? Because if the issue gets resolved, their politics fails,” he remarked.

Hussain concluded by urging people not to fall into the trap of false narratives. “This state deserves transparent governance, not diversions dressed as development", he concluded.