GUWAHATI, April 1 � The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Assam Pradesh unit on Thursday alleged that the ruling Congress has begun a dirty political game by trying to influence the BPL population with various lucrative offers and said it would approach the Election Commission (EC) in this regard.
Addressing media persons here, the State BJP functionaries alleged that to woo the electorate the Congress government has been trying various tactics and one of it has been the promise of distributing more rice and other essential items to the BPL families.
�The number of BPL families has increased by 7,04,000 between 16.11.2007 and 13.03.2008 in Assam. Now the question is how the number of BPL families swelled when the same government had taken the decision not to increase the number of BPL card holders,� said Tapan Choudhury, spokesperson of the party. As per government statistics, as on date there are 19,60,000 BPL and job card holders in Assam.
It needs to be mentioned here that the party has taken the issue of increase in the number of BPL families very seriously. According to Choudhury, the poor families easily get influenced by much hyped welfare schemes and exercise their franchise under the impression that the government and a political party is the same.
Even a study by the Centre for Media Studies, New Delhi has confirmed that 56 percent of poor families in Assam had cast their vote in the last Assembly elections by being influenced by the government schemes.
�This time too the Congress government is doing everything to influence the BPL families,� said Choudhury.
Choudhury further said that the Congress was telling the electorate that their job cards will be cancelled if another political party comes to power.
On the other hand, the party on Thursday lodged a complaint with the EC against a few Congress members for spreading the rumour that State BJP president Ranjit Dutta had distributed dog meat amongst the voters in his constituency. Dutta is contesting from Behali where he won in the last Assembly elections.