Congress govt in Assam to be run by its people, not by Delhi: Rajeev Shukla

Senior Congress leader Rajeev

Shukla on Sunday said that the government to be formed by the party in Assam after the assembly election will be run by and for the people of the state and will not be remote-controlled from Delhi.

The BJP-led government in Assam has played with the emotions and fortunes of the tea garden workers for the last five years, he alleged while addressing a press conference in Guwahati.

"The Congress government is going to be run by the people of Assam, for the people of Assam and not on the instructions of people from Delhi," Shukla said.

Describing the BJP as the "Chunaavi Jumla Party" (electoral fake promise party), he alleged that

reneging on promises has become a hallmark of the saffron party.

"Assam accounts for more than 50 per cent of India's tea production. This feeling of pride brings responsibility to each and every one of us. Tea workers dedicate their lives to ensure that the best quality of Assam tea reaches the nook and corner of the world," he said.

"The Congress is committed to overall upliftment of the tea workers," the former Union minister said.

Shukla alleged that the state's BJP-led government has reneged its promise of increasing the daily wage of tea workers who have been demanding a hike for the last five years.

Before the 2016 assembly elections, the BJP had promised to increase their daily wage to Rs 351, he said.

"They (the government) increased the wage by Rs 50 to Rs 217 without fulfilling the promise or legal backup. The Gauhati High Court put a stay on this move," Shukla said.

The COVID-19 pandemic has dealt a blow to the tea garden workers, AICC spokesperson Gourav Vallabh said adding that the Congress shares their pain and promises to increase their daily wage to Rs 365.

State Congress Media Department Chairperson Bobbeeta Sarma said that the party will explore constitutional and legal ways to grant ST status to Moran, Mattock, Sonowal, Tai Ahom, Sootea, Koch-Rajbongshi and the tea tribe communities in Assam keeping the status and rights of the existing ST communities intact.