AJP poses 17 tough questions to PM Modi, seeks answers on key issues

Guwahati, Feb 25: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Assam for the Advantage Assam 2.0 Summit, the Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) has posed 17 critical questions and urged him to address these key concerns.

AJP president Lurinjyoti Gogoi and general secretary Jagadish Bhuyan accused the BJP-led government of failing to fulfil its promises and misleading the people of Assam.

Gogoi stated that while the BJP government claims to prioritize Assam's development, it has taken multiple 'U-turns' on crucial matters. The regional party said that Assamese people had trusted the BJP and had high expectations, only to be met with disappointment.

The 17 questions raised by AJP cover a wide range of concerns, including the implementation of the Assam Accord, constitutional safeguards for indigenous people, rampant corruption, rising toll gate rates, and the delay in granting Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to six indigenous communities.

The party also questioned the government's handling of Assam's flood crisis, the alleged destruction of Assamese-medium schools, and the lack of action against illegal coal mining.

AJP also demanded an ex-planation for the government's failure to fulfil its 2016 promise of increasing tea garden workers' daily wages to Rs 351.33. Currently, workers in the Brahmaputra Valley receive an average of Rs 250 per day, while those in the Barak Valley earn Rs 228.

"Despite PM Modi himself acknowledging the low wages of Assam's tea garden workers, no concrete steps have been taken. Additionally, the Assam government's decision to allow 10 per cent of tea garden land to be used for non-agricultural purposes has raised concerns regarding shrinking plantation areas and job losses for tea garden workers," AJP stated. The party questioned how the government plans to ensure both wage hikes and job security for the workers in Assam.

It also challenged PM Modi on his past promises, including his 2014 election pledge to identify and expel illegal foreigners from Assam, deposit Rs 15 lakh in every Indian's bank account, and double farmers' incomes. The party further demanded answers regarding rising inflation, the controversial smart meter installations in Assam, and the alleged corruption involving Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his associates.

The AJP urged PM Modi to address these pressing is-sues during his visit and provide concrete answers to the people of Assam.

While welcoming Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Assam, the Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) today raked up the unfulfilled promises of the Prime Minister made to the people of Assam since 2014.

"Although we welcome the Prime Minister to the State, we are compelled to pose certain questions to him out of our frustration and pain. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who describes the Northeast as the 'Ashta Lakshmi' (eight forms of Goddess Lakshmi) and equates 'A' for Assam as a replacement to the traditional teaching 'A' for apple, has failed to meet the expectations and resolve genuine problems the common people of the State despite becoming Prime Minister for the third consecutive time," AJP president Lurinjyoti Gogoi said while addressing newsmen here today.

The AJP leader reminded that during an election rally in 2014, the Prime Minister had said that all illegal immigrants would be required to pack their bags and leave the State and country after May 16, but nothing has happened so far. When will the BJP-led government identify and deport the illegal foreign settlers from the State, asked Gogoi.

The AJP president sought to know when Prime Minister Narendra Modi would facilitate the implementation of Clause 6 of the Assam Accord to safeguard the demographic and cultural integrity of the Assamese people. "Has he received and accepted the report of the high-level Justice (Retd) Biplab Sarma Committee on Clause 6 of the Assam Accord? Will the Prime Minister respond why the then Joint Secretary of the Union Home Department Satyendra K Garg, who was the member secretary of the committee, refrain from signing the committee's report?" the AJP president asked.

Gogoi further said that the Prime Minister must speak up as to why he has failed to provide a permanent solution to the flood and erosion problem of the state and when farmers' income will double. He must also tell the people why he is silent against the rising cost of essential commodities including medicines and petrol products, closures of Assamese medium schools in the state, corruption in the state, construction of the Subansiri Lower Hydroelectric Project and the deadline as to when citizens would be receiving Rs 15 lakh in their bank accounts, he asked.

The AJP leader further reminded the Prime Minister of the promises he made to the tea garden working communities like ensuring a minimum Rs 351 as daily wage and granting Scheduled Tribe status, among others.