Guwahati: Opposition MLAs in Assam -- from the Congress and CPM -- and Independent legislator Akhil Goi have alleged discrimination in allotment of schemes by the Assam government in their constituencies. Today, they submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
"The MLAs of the opposition parties had been deliberately discriminated (against) vis-a-vis the MLAs of the ruling parties," the memorandum read. In many constituencies, opposition MLAs were not taken on board when decision was made on developmental schemes in their constituencies.
"The discrimination of your government is obvious since the MLAs of the opposition parties have received no funds under the untied fund," the memorandum stated.
The parties alleged that in constituencies where incumbents belong to the opposition, only few kilometres of Embankment-cum-Road infrastructure were sanctioned. But in constituencies of the ruling parties, more than 10 km of Embankment-cum-Road infrastructure was sanctioned.
For the financial year 2022-23, under the state government's Mukhya Mantrir Pakipath Nirman Achani scheme for road infrastructure, "it has come to our notice that only 16 km of roads will be approved for the constituencies where there are MLAs of the opposition parties, whereas 25 km of roads for new construction would be approved for the constituencies where there are MLAs of the ruling parties," the memorandum said.
Under the Water Resources Department, multiple schemes are "totally discriminatory" as well against the constituencies of the opposition MLAs, the MLAs alleged.
These constituencies, they contended, "deserve equal importance as the people of other constituencies where the ruling parties had won… the development of all 126 Assembly constituencies of Assam at par is significant for the overall development of the state".
"But the recent decisions of the Government of Assam elude this common understanding while giving prominence to the development of only those constituencies where there are MLAs of the ruling parties," the memorandum read.
In a separate memorandum, the Congress has also flagged the Karimganj District Administration's eviction drives in parts of the district, alleging at least 90 houses in Patharkandi Revenue Circle have been razed "violating all norms of natural justice".