Congress failed to address concerns of small tea farmers: Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal

Dibrugarh (Assam) [India], April 11 (ANI): Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who is contesting as a BJP candidate from the Dibrugarh Lok Sabha seat in Assam, has said that Congress failed to address the concerns of the small tea farmers.

“For the most part, the concerns of small tea growers in Assam fell on deaf ears during the successive Congress governments, who completely disregarded their concerns. The All Assam Small Tea Growers Association repeatedly appealed to the Congress government for land rights, but to no avail. Conversely, the BJP government acknowledged their demands and granted land rights to over 2 lakh tea growers,” said Sonowal.

“Today, schemes like Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) under PM Kishan have helped our farmers become more financially viable. PM Awas Yojana has also helped rural people avail the benefit of a Pucca Ghar after they were denied their rights for most of Congress’s misrule. The commitment of the BJP-led NDA government to empower and enable the rural economy remains absolute,” Sonowal added.

Sarbananda Sonowal highlighted the key role that the rural economy is poised to play in realising the vision of Viksit Bharat.

He reaffirmed the commitment of the Narendra Modi-led NDA government to bolster the rural economy and explore avenues to empower Kishan Shakti and enable Nari Shakti & Yuva Shakti to extract the best in the process of nation-building.

Sonowal was campaigning at the Chabua Lahowal assembly constituency on Wednesday, where he addressed three public meetings at Ramai Kardaibam, Pulunga Trinayan Jyoti Club, and Jerai Kharuwa Pathar.

“Our journey towards development has commenced at the grassroots level, particularly in the villages. We have taken note of the most critical infrastructure for a village – roads. Today, we have the report card of a decade of development under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji. By establishing a network of all-weather roads among 22,000 villages and more than 800 tea estates in Assam, the double-engine BJP government has made a significant stride in this regard,” Sonowal said.

“This has opened up a lot of avenues for the farmers to realise the true potential of Krishan Shakti. As you may know, potato farmers from Tingkhang are now trading potatoes with a Multi-National Corporation (MNC). Would you think such a step was even conceivable during the six decades of misrule by the Congress?” Sonowal added.

Adding further, Sarbananda Sonowal said, “Dibrugarh poses immense potential in our rich rural areas. The pristine countryside, with its picturesque green tea gardens as well as natural beauty, has tremendous potential for rural tourism. With this in mind, we began the Ganga Vilas River Cruise, the longest river cruise vessel between Varanasi and Dibrugarh. This has unlocked a huge potential for rural and riverine tourism, with immense potential for Dibrugarh constituency, where tourists from all across the world will be visiting.”

“This has unveiled a process for many more river cruise ships to ply on this route, with huge potential for the rural tourism industry of the region. Similarly, our natural beauty can also heal the world. People, struggling to keep peace of mind in a fast-paced world, prefer to visit places where one can unwind. With this in mind, we are also setting up a 100-bed yoga and naturopathy hospital at Jakai. This facility, once up and running, will play a major role in the area of hospitality and wellness,” Sarbananda Sonowal said.

He also said that several initiatives, such as PM Kisan, PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, PM Jan Dhan Yojana, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, PM Ujjwala Yojana, and PM Awas, have been implemented to uplift rural communities. Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mechanisms have been established to facilitate the direct transfer of funds to beneficiaries’ bank accounts.

“Moreover, concerted efforts have been directed towards enhancing the traditional healthcare system in Goa through scientific advancements. Furthermore, there has been a strong focus on empowering women across various fronts,” Sonowal added.

“Congress, a major national party, often relies on alliances with smaller parties to contest elections. This strategy reflects the consequences of their six decades of corrupt governance. No external support can salvage the Congress; instead, any party aligning with them faces inevitable peril. The Congress-led alliance stands little chance of success in the forthcoming Dibrugarh Lok Sabha constituency elections. The electorate is well aware that affiliating with the Congress brings forth more harm than good, akin to the burdens posed by brooms and ship anchors on the general public,” Sonowal said.

Sarbananda Sonowal was accompanied by Rameshwar Teli, Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas; MLA of Chabua, Ponakan Baruah; and MLA of Lahowal, Binod Hazarika, among others.