Gogoi asks MoS Sarbananda Sonowal to issue White Paper on Modi govt performance in Assam

In a statement Gogoi asked Union Minister Sonowal to come out with a factsheet as to what the BJP-led NDA Government at the Centre had done for Assam during its one and a half years of rule instead of unleashing a misinformation campaign against the State Government.

Gogoi while asking Sonowal to come out with a White Paper on the allocation of Central funds for Assam under different heads by the present BJP-led NDA Government, reiterated that the State Government would publish within a fortnight about the slew of development initiatives taken by the former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan during the 10-year tenure of the UPA Government.

“The BJP must also come out with a factsheet as to what the previous and the present BJP-led NDA Governments have done for the State of Assam so that the people can judge things in proper perspectives,” Gogoi said.

Gogoi asked Sonowal to come out with the exact allocation of funds the BJP-led NDA Government had given to Assam on floods and erosion, MGNREGA, IAY and other development schemes.

“Not to speak of special Central assistance, the State is yet to receive a single penny under National Disaster Response Fund except Rs 430.97 crore as Central share of SDRF in 2014-15 which is due to every State,” Gogoi said, adding that Sonowal did not exert pressure on the Centre to release the due funds to the State Government.

In this context, Gogoi said the Centre is yet to release Rs 1000 crore for flood management programme.

The Assam CM said that Sonowal also did not pressurise the Centre for depriving Assam and the North Eastern States of the Special Category Status, withdrawal of suspension on NEIIPP and Backward Region Grant Fund, restoration of funding pattern to the earlier 90:10 basis, besides ensuring funds flow from NLCPR and NEC which have witnessed sharp declines.

“Though Sonowal is very vocal criticising the State Government on different issues, he always maintains a stoic silence when it comes to raising the issues at the highest level. He took a mute stand in this regard during a meeting of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh with the Chief Ministers of North Eastern States in July this year. He is keener on appeasing the Central leaders to keep his gaddi intact rather than serving the interests of the State and its people. Being a Central Minister, Sonowal is aware of the huge losses Assam has incurred due to discriminatory and lopsided attitude of the present dispensation at the Centre, but he is feigning ignorance,” Gogoi said.

Gogoi dared Sonowal to repudiate the facts and figures submitted by him on various issues enlisted in a memorandum to the Prime Minister on December 16 last.

“The present State Government has put down everything in black and white vis-a-vis issues concerning the State and its people in a recent memorandum to the Prime Minister. I will send a copy of it to Sonowal and the State BJP MPs. Let Sonowal repudiate the facts and figures submitted by the State Government. Our Government has nothing to hide and has laid everything on paper,” Gogoi said, adding that Sonowal and the State BJP leaders have been unleashing a misinformation campaign against the State Government to divert people’s attention from the party’s  ‘U-turns’ on major electoral promises.

The Assam CM asked the Union Minister of State to come out with the allocation and sanction of funds for the 12th South Asian Games slated for February 2016 in Assam.

“Though the State Government has submitted a demand for Rs 141.73 crore for smooth and successful conduct of the Games from the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports headed by Sonowal, it has so far received only Rs 22.70 crore,” Gogoi said in the statement.

Gogoi questioned Sonowal as to what his Ministry has done for development of sports infrastructure in the State.

“Today the South Asian Games are going to be staged only because of the state-of-the-art sports infrastructure that had come up during the 33rd National Games we hosted in 2007. Otherwise, staging the South Asian Games would have remained a pipedream,” Gogoi said.

The Assam CM said that Sonowal did not do anything worthwhile for establishment of skill development centres in the development blocks under the Multi Disciplinary Skill Development Programme when he was the Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.

Assam government had submitted a proposal for Rs 1350 crore to the Centre in August 2014 for creation of skill development centres in all the 219 development blocks of the State.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)