Guwahati, May 28 Following Assam Congress chief Bhupen Borah's cryptic dig at the state government, terming it a "trouble engine," the BJP sharply reacted to it.
The state BJP leaders said that unlike the previous Congress governments in Assam, the current dispensation led by Himanta Biswa Sarma does not have to rely on the Centre's fund for paying even the salaries of state government employees.
Debajit Mahanta, an Assam BJP leader, said, "Since India's Independence, Assam was ruled by the Congress for a number of years, but only after the BJP came to power here, the state government is no longer dependent on funds from the Centre to pay the salaries of its 4.5 lakh employees."
"Perhaps Borah made the comments because he was unaware of the most recent events in the state," he said.
He alleged that the recruited youths had to pay money as soon as they received the appointment letters when Congress was ruling Assam, but now that the BJP is in power, the youths received jobs on the basis of merit.
The state government has recently distributed appointment letters to nearly 45,000 youths who have been selected to serve in various departments.
Borah earlier said that people had to give bribes to get jobs; however, nobody is telling the truth now out of the BJP's fear.
"I request the Assam Congress president to show a single candidate who got the jobs by giving bribes," Mahanta said.
He also warned Borah not to make any irrational claims in the future.
The BJP leader claimed that several Congress employees had also gotten appointment letters in the most recent round of recruitment examinations, in addition to the newly hired employees.
Speaking further in response to Borah's remarks about borrowing loans to create a fictitious GDP, Mahanta claimed that the debt in states with Congress-led governments is significantly lower.
Earlier, Bhupen Borah attacked the BJP-led administration in Assam harshly, saying it is a "trouble engine" government rather than a "double engine."
Borah attacked the BJP's claims to create jobs, saying that Himanta Biswa Sarma, the chief minister of Assam, had made false promises and had not followed through on them.
He emphasised the discrepancy between the government's assertions that millions of jobs will be produced and the dearth of genuine employment prospects.
Bora sought responsibility and a justification for the broken promises and the whereabouts of the purported 22 lakh employees.
The Assam Congress President went on to criticise the government's financial management, asserting that the current administration has greatly raised the state's debt load.
He emphasised the significant increase in loan, which went to a stunning Rs 17,149 crore in 2021-2022, up from Rs 2,757 crore in 2012-2013, with further plans to borrow an additional Rs 25,000 crore.
Bora voiced alarm over the anticipated intention to borrow Rs 50,000 crore the next year and accused the BJP government of fraudulently inflating the GDP to obtain loans.
tdr/uk/
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