Guwahati (Assam) [India], January 3 (ANI): Assam Congress President Gaurav Gogoi on Friday said that the government led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has failed to undertake any visionary plan beyond turning women and economically backward sections of society into mere beneficiaries in the name of welfare schemes. Addressing a press conference in Tinsukia, he said that the BJP will not be able to mislead the conscious people of Assam.

He said that although the Himanta government has decided to provide 1,500 to temple attendants, no concrete steps have been taken to make the sattras economically self-reliant.

Stating that the BJP may put up any show of strength it wants, Gogoi said the upcoming Assam Assembly elections will be highly engaging. 'This time, the people of Assam will show the entire country that when a self-respecting populace unites, an arrogant and corruption-ridden government collapses easily. The BJP will not be able to mislead the conscious people of Assam,' he asserted.

Gogoi stated that there is nothing new about distributing schemes, as programmes like Arunodoi exist in almost every state of India. What Assam truly needs, he said, are schemes that can make ordinary people economically self-sufficient. 'During the Congress government, emphasis was laid on economic empowerment. Even sattras were extended such support. As a result, many sattras are still able to sustain themselves independently, at least to some extent,' Gogoi said.

He further added that if the Congress comes to power, the party will study ways to ensure genuine empowerment of women and introduce new schemes accordingly. Real development, he said, can only be witnessed when schemes address the actual problems faced by the people.

Gogoi criticised the Chief Minister and alleged that his government made only marginal increases in old-age pensions and women-oriented scheme benefits after much deliberation, while substantially inflating project budgets when works are handed over to four or five close contractors. 'This is why a section of people in the state is becoming increasingly wealthy, while the poor remain confined to the status of beneficiaries,' he remarked.

The APCC President also claimed that the condition of higher education institutions in Assam under the BJP government have deteriorated. Citing recent unrest at Tezpur University, Gogoi said that during the Congress regime, the university was counted among the leading institutions not only in India but across Asia. 'Today, while the government boasts of providing small monthly assistance to students, the education system itself has been crippled,' he alleged.

'Higher education institutions across Assam and the entire Northeast are sliding towards destruction. Everyone has seen the present condition of Gauhati University and Dibrugarh University. A similar atmosphere of chaos prevails even at NEHU in Shillong,' Gogoi said. He claimed that handing over educational institutions to individuals close to the BJP without considering merit, and merely offering schemes to students, will not lead to any improvement in the country's education system. (ANI)