Assam polls: Schemes used to compel women to attend rallies in Assam, says Priyanka Gandhi

Bikash Singh

Jorhat: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday alleged that the BJP government in Assam has used women-related schemes to pressure them into attending party rallies.

Speaking at an election rally in Nazira in Sivasagar district, she claimed that women across the state are being forced to attend rallies addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and CM Himanta Biswa Sarma. "Be it the Prime Minister's programme or the CM's, women are being compelled to attend rallies or are threatened with removal from beneficiary lists. In every household, women are distressed - should they manage their daily chores, go to tea gardens to earn a livelihood, or attend rallies? That is not how schemes should function."


Priyanka said, "This is public money. It does not belong to the chief minister or the government. People have a right to it and should be free to access it without conditions."Also Read: PM Modi claims Congress reviving bid to 'protect infiltrators'; pushes UCC



She further stated that there has been little improvement in the wages of tea garden workers. "When I visited Nazira earlier, people told me their wages were very low. The BJP had promised Rs 300-350. Workers today say there has only been a marginal increase."

She also criticised the government for failing to grant Scheduled Tribe status to several tribal and Adivasi communities. "This promise is repeated in every election campaign, yet after being in power for so many years, nothing has been delivered."

Priyanka warned that fuel prices could rise after the elections. "It is election time now, but once the polls are over, petrol prices will increase. People do not want a government that controls them through fear."

She accused Modi of compromising national interests. "They talk about a double-engine government, but what we see is double servitude. The Prime Minister has become subservient to America, and Assam's leadership is following the same path," she alleged.

She added, "The Assam that Zubeen Garg dreamed of - corruption-free and full of opportunities for the next generation - is within reach if people come together for change."