After the results of the just-concluded bye-elections to the 5 Assembly constituencies were announced today afternoon, APCC President Sri Bhupen Kumar Borah said that Congress gracefully accepted the mandate of the people. It is a foregone conclusion that bye-elections are usually won by the ruling party, he said. Sri Borah stated that the results of the previous bye-elections at different times had taught this lesson.
The APCC, in a press release today, said that the BJP is now at the helm of power and this government will continue for another four and half years. That is why the people had voted for the BJP in the bye- election. The government will not be affected by a win or loss in the just- concluded bye- election. This fact has been repeatedly asserted by senior leaders of APCC. Still, this time, the BJP’s Chief Minister, entire council of ministers and legislators from the BJP- led alliance had launched themselves into the campaign for the bye- election, a happening not witnessed by any political party or the people in any previous bye- election.
“We have accepted the results as the mandate of the people and accept it gracefully without any contradiction while congratulating the victorious candidates”, said APCC President Sri Borah, while addressing the media. At the same time, this election has greatly strengthened the party’s base in the five constituencies and this would prove to be invaluable to the party in the future, he asserted.
Soon after the announcement of the election result, Sri Borah told media persons at Rajiv Bhawan- “Naturally, as a political party, we would have been delighted to win the election but we are not dejected simply because we lost. The general public thinks that being on the side of the ruling party would lead to the development of their area and this is only natural”.
Some of the promises by BJP :
• The parliamentarians and legislators induced to join the BJP from other parties have been promised Rs 2000 crores each for development of their constituencies by the Chief Minister himself.
• Medical colleges each in Tamulpur and Thowra constituencies, two concrete bridges in Thowra, assurance to give preference to Adivasi language.
• Immediate allotment of Rs 1 crore each to 40 tea gardens in Mariani constituency for construction of ‘line’ roads.
• Public assurance of schools and construction of 10 colleges for tea workers’ sons and daughters.
• To attract voters in Bhabanipur, the Chief Minister assured the famous land mafia and favourite candidate of the BJP of signing files with 27 demands.
APCC President Sri Bhupen Kumar Borah further said that the Congress had regarded the bye-elections as a symbol of protest against the sky-rocketing rise in prices of petrol, diesel, cooking gas, vegetables, pulses, mustard oil and other essential commodities, and also that the people would together force the government to control the spiraling prices. Congress had also hoped that the people would raise their voices against the improper use of state funds. The state treasury is empty. The Finance Minister had stated that there is no money with the state government and no new appointment in government jobs is possible. The finance minister had also informed that Rs 5500 crores had to be taken as a loan to meet various expenditures of the state government.
Sri Borah added that a total of 3243 people in the state committed suicide between now and 2019, due to the situation caused by Covid. There has been a 36% increase in suicides in 2020 over 2019. Is this an example of the ‘people- oriented’ development of the BJP government?