Assam: Congres protest in Guwahati against hiked electricity rates

Guwahati (Assam) [India], October 5 (ANI): The Assam Congress Committee staged a protest in the state capital Guwahati on Thursday and burned a notice copy of the hiked electricity rates in the state.

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi during the protets attacked the Himanta Biswa Sarma government and said that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government is treating the people of Assam as their personal ATM to evade their own debts.

“CM Himanta Biswa Sarma is is treating the people of Assam as his personal ATM. Every time the government runs into debt, the BJP government increases the tax, electiricty bill, all forms of duties and toll tax. Therefore, poor people have to bear the burden of the failures of the BJP,” said Congress MP Gogoi.

He further alleged that people having conections with CM Himanta Biswa Sarma are increasingly buying land in Assam while the poor are getting even poorer.

“The land of Assam is increasingly being bought by people linked to CM and his ministers. The poor people are being made poorer by increasing the taxes and bills,” said Gogoi.

“When Congress comes to power, we will provide 200 units per month free to the desrving families,” he added.

The Assam Power Distribution Company Ltd. (APDCL) had on September 30 issued a notice to all electricity consumers, stating the revised Fuel and Power Purchase Price Adjustment (FPPPA) rates that will be in effect from October 2023 onwards. The FPPPA rates, as per APDCL were designed to account for fluctuations in fuel and power purchase costs. The rates vary depending on consumer categories:

Meanwhile, speaking on the arrest of Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh, Gaurav Gogoi said, “This shows how scared BJP is and they are on backfoot. Last year they summoned Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, this is just a way of intimidating the people of India.”

Sanjay Singh was arrested following a day-long questioning session by ED officials at his Delhi residence in the liquor policy scam case.

Notably, Sanjay Singh is the third prominent leader of the AAP, after Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain, to be arrested by a central agency.