BJP chief ministerial candidate in Assam Sarbananda Sonowal here on Sunday said that his party aims at to convert Assam into an aadarsh (ideal) state where all Indians can live in harmony and with self-respect.
Addressing party workers who accorded him a grand welcome on his arrival in Guwahati, Mr Sonowal called upon the party workers to get united “to uproot 15 years of misrule and the corrupt regime of the Congress” in the state.
Admitting that it was a Herculean task that the party has thrust upon him, Mr Sonowal said, “We should keep in mind: united we stand divided we fall.” Pointing out that he will continue to struggle for converting Assam into an aadarsh state, the Union minister said that his priority will be to protect the identity of the people of Assam and providing a corruption-free transparent government.
Accusing the ruling Congress of indulging in rampant corruption, Mr Sonowal said, “The people of Assam are suffering because of corruption and misrule of the Congress government.”
Mr Sonowal, who was accompanied by the convenor of the election campaign committee and former minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, admitted that leaders will have to shed their personal ambitions to bring the party to power. Mr Sarma, who launched a frontal attack on Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi at the felicitation ceremony, said, “Mr Gogoi intends to continue his freebies politics and claims to have brought development in the state but he can’t explain as to how the number of unemployed youth has gone up to 23 lakh today from 9 lakh in 2001.”
Taking a dig at the chief minister, Mr Sarma said, “Mr Gogoi has developed the state in such a way that he wants the Centre to provide funds even for dustbins and cleaning Guwahati.”
Regretting that the chief minister was indulging in propaganda campaign and putting up hoardings against the 18-month-old BJP government, Mr Sarma said, “It was the confession in itself that UPA government failed to do anything for the state. More than one crore population of Assam is still living below the poverty line.”
Mr Sarma daring Mr Gogoi to talk on facts instead of propaganda said that his lies are exposed as Centre has allocated fund more than Gujarat to Assam.
