New Delhi, Jan 30 (.) Congress leader Pawan Khera on Friday launched a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Assam, accusing the ruling party of neglecting the Northeast and failing to deliver on key promises made to the people of the state over the last decade.
In a post on social media platform X, Khera said Shah’s visit was “a welcome step from a party that is known to ignore the sufferings of the Northeast,” but added that the Home Minister must first seek answers from Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on what he called “serious betrayals” of the Assamese people.
“We have 10 questions from the BJP’s 10 years in power in Assam,” Khera wrote, using pointed language to criticise both the Centre and the state government. Referring to Shah as “Guru Golmaal-kar” and Sarma as his “disciple,” Khera alleged that the BJP had weakened indigenous identity, facilitated large-scale land sales, and failed to generate jobs or ensure social justice.
At the heart of the Congress leader’s attack was the long-pending demand for Scheduled Tribe status for several indigenous communities. “Modi promised six months. Himanta promised five years. It has been 12 years—why is there still no ST status for Koch-Rajbongshi, Tai Ahom, Moran, Matak, Chutia, and the Tea Tribes/Adivasi?” Khera asked.
He also alleged that the Assam government had enabled the sale of around 1.5 lakh bighas of land belonging to indigenous people. “Why has your government enabled the sale of land to cronies? Why does ‘Bhumi-Bikreta’ Sarma get a free hand?” the Congress leader said, accusing the BJP of betraying its own slogan of “Jati, Mati, Bheti” (community, land, and hearth).
Khera further questioned the BJP’s record on employment, claiming that the lack of jobs had forced Assamese youth to migrate outside the state and face discrimination. He also raised concerns over what he described as the “erosion of Assamese identity,” alleging that lakhs of indigenous voters had disappeared from electoral rolls.
The Congress leader criticised the state of healthcare in Assam, saying that despite a decade in power, the BJP had failed to significantly improve medical infrastructure. He also flagged environmental concerns, asking why “poison has entered Assam’s waters” and what steps had been taken to improve water quality.
On the economic front, Khera targeted the Centre over the absence of a minimum support price for tea cultivators. “Is the government in the pockets of big tea companies?” he asked, referring to Assam’s crucial tea industry and the plight of small growers and workers.
Expanding his criticism beyond the state, Khera linked Assam’s challenges to India’s foreign policy. He alleged that policy failures had pushed Bangladesh closer to China, creating “new security and humanitarian challenges for Assam and the Northeast.”
“We have full faith in your legendary ability to get answers to these questions,” Khera said, adding that the Congress would continue to press the Home Minister for accountability in the coming months. Shah is currently in Assam on a two-day visit when he is scheduled to roll out government projects and also address a public rally.
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