Poll push: Akhil Gogoi lays out roadmap for education, healthcare reforms

GUWAHATI, March 28: Raijor Dal president Akhil Gogoi on Friday asserted that the regional party is committed to implementing an alternative vision for the development of Assam that will include enactment of legislations to provide assured quality education and healthcare for all citizens, and measures to promote the agriculture and industrial sectors if the six-party opposition alliance comes to power in the April 9 Assembly polls.

In a short interaction with The Assam Tribune in between his hectic election campaign schedule, Akhil Gogoi also accused the BJP-led NDA government in Dispur of “surrendering” the interests of the State to big corporate houses and added that the Raijor Dal will strive to secure social, political and economic justice for all segments of people.

“Assam’s precious resources and the markets have been handed over to the big corporates by the BJP-led government,” Gogoi said.

He pointed out that local people earlier had control over the small retail sector in in the State, but now the segment has been taken over by oligopolies.

“The corporates have taken over the retail sector in recent years. The local small stores are barely managing. In their place, big shopping malls, large departmental stores and online platforms have taken over the market. Local entrepreneurs have been sidelined, resulting not only in a massive price rise of various products and commodities but also leading to unemployment,” Gogoi said.

He alleged that the BJP-led State government has failed to safeguard the basic rights of the people and has left the masses to the whims of market forces.

“The prices of LPG cylinders have increased by almost three-fold under the BJP-led dispensation. The same is the case with other basic and essential items like salt and eggs. What we have witnessed is total submission of the government to big corporate houses. And the role of the Assam government has been condemnable. It has blindly aped the policies of the Centre,” said the Raijor Dal supremo.

He further said the State is no longer playing a role in job creation. “Even the local people of Sivasagar are now not able to secure jobs in public sector companies like the ONGC. Everything has been either privatized or outsourced. When the government can hand over the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport to a private company, then what more could be expected? For the state government, development means only the construction of flyovers. Barring that, there is no focus at all on upgrading even basic infrastructure and civic amenities,” Gogoi said.

He said the Raijor Dal is committed to bringing an alternative model in case the opposition alliance wins the 2026 Assembly polls.

“For us, it is not about election issues, but rather about commitments. We have made some promises to the people of Assam and those will be implemented,” he said.

Gogoi said among them is promoting year-round cultivation in Assam and setting up small industries in each village in rural areas and each municipal ward in urban areas.

“Our commitment is ‘one village, one industry’. In addition, we have developed a new concept of ‘finishing school’. Any student who completes school will be enrolled in finishing schools where all kinds of skill training will be provided. We are committed to building a generation of Assamese with professional skills. Certificates and identity cards will be provided to those who may need to move out of Assam for securing jobs. The administration here will collaborate with the governments of other states to ensure that such people get adequate remuneration in their places of work and do not have to survive on poor salaries,” Gogoi said.

He added, “We will also enact laws to make quality healthcare and education a right for the people of Assam. Every LP school will have at least one classroom for each class of students. There will be at least one teacher for the students of each class and the teachers will be provided training of international standard. Besides, free and quality healthcare will be provided to all citizens.”

Meanwhile, Raijor Dal leaders exuded confidence in the six-party opposition alliance securing a comfortable majority in the Assembly elections. “We (the alliance) will provide a stable government in Assam,” Raijor Dal media in-charge Debanga Sourav Gogoi said.

As part of the seat-sharing arrangement of the opposition bloc, the Raijor Dal has fielded its candidates in 13 seats, including two constituencies where it is having ‘friendly contests’ with the Congress party. “We are aiming to win all 13 seats and our victory is assured in at least 10 of them,” Debanga Sourav Gogoi added.