Ripun Bora Slams BJP’s “Broken Promises” Ahead of PM Modi’s Assam Visit

Former Rajya Sabha MP and Chairman of the Congress Election Management Committee, Ripun Bora, on Thursday launched a blistering attack on the BJP government, accusing it of “broken promises and betrayals” just days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to Assam on September 13 and 14.

Addressing a press conference at the Darrang District Congress office in Mangaldoi, Bora raised a series of pointed questions to the Prime Minister and the ruling BJP. He alleged that the assurances made before 2014 have “turned out to be hollow,” leaving the people of Assam deceived in the name of development.

Bora questioned, “After May 16, 2014, how many illegal Bangladeshis were actually expelled, as promised by the Prime Minister?” Instead, he claimed, the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and subsequent central directives have burdened Assam with “even more foreigners.”

Referring to the campaign slogan “A for Assam,” Bora said that while people were told the state would prosper, the reality has been the opposite. “Today the state ranks at the bottom nationally in per capita income. With the debt burden touching nearly ₹50,000 per citizen, Assam is drowning in loans,” he alleged.

On the issue of jobs, the Congress leader said the BJP had promised two crore new jobs annually but failed to deliver. “The number of unemployed in Assam has now risen to 38 lakh,” Bora stated. He also hit out at the government for not granting ST status to six communities and for failing to raise tea workers’ daily wages to ₹351, as promised.

Turning his fire on Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Bora accused him of being shielded despite a tainted past. “The BJP once branded Sarma as the most corrupt Congress minister in India, yet after joining the party, he was made Chief Minister and protected from accountability,” he said. Bora alleged that syndicate raj in coal, stone and sand mining, land grabs in tea gardens, and misappropriation of resources have flourished under BJP’s watch.

He further charged the government with displacing indigenous people, tribals, tea workers, Koch Rajbongshis, Rabhas, Garos and others under the guise of eviction drives, while handing over land to corporate houses such as Adani, Ambani and Ramdev.

Highlighting unfulfilled promises, Bora said commitments on flood control, dredging of the Brahmaputra, Smart City projects, and reforms in health and education have remained on paper. He cited official statistics showing Assam continues to record the highest infant mortality, maternal mortality, school dropout rates and crimes against women in the country.

“By draping a gamocha around his neck, the Prime Minister seeks to win the trust of the Assamese people. But today, people see the betrayal hidden behind that gamocha. Under BJP’s rule, Assam has gone back 20 years. No one will be allowed to trample upon Assam’s self-respect through broken promises and injustice,” Bora asserted.

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