Guwahati, Sep 11 (IANS) Lok Sabha MP and state Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi on Thursday mounted a blistering attack on Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, branding him a “flop leader” who, despite being in power for a long time, has failed to deliver on promises made to the people.

Addressing an election rally at Panbari Higher Secondary School playground in Manah Serfang constituency of Chirang district, Gogoi recalled Sarma’s earlier ambition of placing Assam among the top five states of India.

“Instead, Assam today ranks among the bottom five states. When education and health were under his charge, both sectors suffered setbacks. His record as a leader speaks for itself,” the Congress leader said.

He further alleged that the BJP government had failed on its pledge to provide land rights to indigenous communities.

“The BJP promised to distribute land pattas, but instead grabbed land in the name of their families. They floated companies in their sons’ names, shut down local industries, and handed over 40,000 bighas of Assam’s land to corporate houses,” Gogoi charged.

Taking a dig at Sarma’s leadership style, the Congress MP said the Chief Minister’s governance model was marked by cronyism and broken promises.

He accused the ruling party of misleading people with tall claims while ignoring pressing issues of unemployment, poverty, and rising costs of living.

Referring to the recent incident in Dhubri’s Golokganj, Gogoi also condemned the police action against members of the Koch Rajbongshi community, who were staging a protest seeking Scheduled Tribe status and a separate Kamatapur state.

“The brutal lathi-charge on peaceful protestors was barbaric and unacceptable,” he said, adding that the government had shown indifference towards the grievances of indigenous groups and the youth.

Gogoi urged the people of Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) to “see through the false promises of the BJP” and support the Congress in the upcoming polls, which he said was essential to protect the rights and dignity of Assam’s people.

–IANS

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