BJP, Congress Lock Horns Over Assam Floods as State Grapples With Mounting Toll – News18

The devastating floods in Assam this year have taken the lives of 79 people so far and affected over 24 lakh people in the state.

As the entire Northeast region reels under the effect of nature’s fury, the floodgates of politics have also opened in the state, with Congress and BJP locking horns over the dire situation in Assam.

The Congress blamed the breach of embankments on BJP, saying the party leaders were not sincere and honest in their work. The Opposition also claimed that the Centre had ignored the floods by just taking stock of the situation over the phone.

In response to Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement on X, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi took to his official handle to say: “The statement of Minister of Home Affairs Shri Amit Shah regarding the tragedy in Assam shows a lack of knowledge and sincerity. More than 70 people have died due to the floods yet the Minister chooses to describe the current disaster as flood-like situation.”

Earlier, the MP had said: “For the last 10 years, we have been seeing that the Jal Shakti Department of the BJP government is repeatedly giving embankment projects to contractors who build broken embankments or are not able to do their work properly. But even after that, the same contractor gets work again and again.”

Speaking on the issue, All Assam Student Union president Utpal Sarma said: “When we ask the government to declare Assam floods as a national disaster, the CM of Assam laughs and says what will happen if it is declared a national disaster? Now I want to tell him that when it’s a national disaster, the entire management of the disaster is handled by the Centre. People who have given statements like digging up 50 water reservoirs will tackle the situation should think twice before making such statements.”

Sarma, while criticising Shah’s post, said: “After the deaths of over 70 people, how ignorant one must be to say it’s a ‘flood-like’ situation in Assam. The prime minister who keeps carrying our pride — the Assamese gamusa around his neck for his world tours — should come and see how Assamese people are tying gamusas around their stomachs to avoid feeling hungry amidst the disaster.”

LoP Rahul Gandhi, while visiting Manipur, had also termed the Assam situation “heart-breaking”. “The extreme devastation caused by flooding in Assam is heart-breaking, with innocent children like 8-year-old Avinash being taken away from us. My heartfelt condolences to all the bereaved families across the state. Assam Congress leaders apprised me of the situation on ground: 60+ deaths, 53,000+ displaced, 24,00,000 affected. These numbers reflect the gross and grave mismanagement by BJP’s double-engine government which came to power on the promise of a flood-free Assam.”

He added: “Assam needs a comprehensive and compassionate vision — proper relief, rehabilitation, and compensation in the short term, and a pan-Northeast water management authority to do everything necessary to control floods in the long term. I stand with the people of Assam. I am their soldier in Parliament and I urge the Union government to extend all possible help and support to the state expeditiously.”

Hitting back at the criticism, cabinet minister, Ministry of External Affairs, Pabitra Margherita, said: “This is no time to play politics. We are focused on helping people during these tough times. Rahul Gandhi didn’t even visit the flood-affected areas or relief camps. The Congress is known for showing off. They just do drama, click pictures and post them. But we are focused on work. BJP believes in working. Our government is doing all that is necessary to tackle the floods. But it’s very shameful how people are trying to earn brownie points from this disaster.”

As per the official reports of the Assam State Disaster Management Authority, although the water level is receding in certain parts, rivers Brahmaputra (Neamatighat), Brahmaputra (Tezpur), Brahmaputra (Guwahati), Brahmaputra (Dhubri), Burhidihing (Chenimari(Khowang)), Dikhou (Sivasagar), Disang (Nanglamuraghat), Kopili (Dharamtul), Kushiayara (Karimganj) are flowing above the danger level with continuous rain in certain parts of the state on Wednesday. Along with human lives, over 25,000 animals and over many thousand hectares of land have also been affected in this year’s flood in Assam.