GUWAHATI: The opposition parties in Assam are going hammer and tongs at the BJP-led government in the state for allegedly insulting the poor beneficiaries of a populist scheme.
What riled them is its move to segregate the beneficiaries of the scheme called “Arunodoi” by putting up signboards outside their houses so they could be easily identified.
Under the scheme, 19.1 lakh BPL families are provided with a monthly financial assistance of Rs 1,000.
The Congress accused Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his party BJP of trying to create two classes in the society. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) accused the government of widening the divide between the rich and the poor.
“By doling out cash, the BJP is trying to create a hopeless class. The BJP thinks if people get money, they will sing paeans for it. The government has not read the writings on the wall,” Assam Congress leader Apurba Bhattacharya said.
He said the creation of classes in the society could not be the policy of a progressive nation. “We never took pictures of the beneficiaries but the BJP-led government is going to the extent of putting up signboards outside their houses. It is insulting the poor. Who has given it that right?” Bhattacharya asked.
AAP’s Assam coordinator Bhaben Choudhury accused Sarma of dividing people based on their financial condition.
“After the BJP divided people on the lines of religion and caste, the Assam CM is now trying to divide people on the basis of rich and poor. We condemn it and want the government to shelve the plan,” Choudhury insisted.
“Helping people is the primary duty of a government. But the Assam government is trying to beat its drum through its move to put up signboards outside the houses of beneficiaries. It will widen the gap between the rich and the poor,” the AAP leader cautioned.
Two days ago, Sarma had said the logo-cum-signboard with “Arunodoi family” inscribed on it would help the government identify the beneficiaries.
“If a rich man has this signboard outside his house, nobody will marry off his or her daughter to that family. So, we feel the rich people, who became beneficiaries by mistake, will withdraw their names from the list. We want only the eligible families to get the benefit of the scheme,” the CM said.
The government wants to complete the process of putting up the signboards by December this year.