AT Photo: Congress' Jayanta Bora (left) and BJP's Diganta Ghatowar (right)
Biswanath, Nov. 1: As the by-elections for five Assembly constituencies approaches, the campaigns intensify. In Behali, following an election rally, Congress
Following an election rally held in Behali on Friday congress candidate Jayanta Bora on being asked by the press whether the allegations against him paying the Congress for a ticket to run for the Behali by-polls, Bora denied all allegations as rumours.
“My giving 3 crores to the Congress for getting a ticket is a rumour. I have not paid anything to the Congress to get the ticket. Rather, I was told I will be given 3 crores to contest against Pallab Lochan Das,” Bora said, adding that BJP MP Ranjit Dutta also mentioned will pay 3 crores to have Bora contest as an independent candidate against Pallab Lochan Das.
“I was invited to his (Ranjit Dutta’s) house in the presence of 13 people, which included many local leaders,” Bora further added.
On the other hand the leaders of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (CPI-ML) addressed the press, stating that the issues that the two political giants – the Congress and the BJP – are discussing does not concern the issues that plague Behali.
CPI (ML) leader Bibek Das said, “There are 18 schools in the area, that have been closed, ones where the children of our local and ordinary people studied. There are 100 sanction posts of teachers lying vacant. There are no adequate number of teachers with regard to the number of students. Why are we not focusing on these issues?”
Das also highlighted about the land issues between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.
“In the Assam-Arunachal border, the 10 thousand bighas of land that came our way at the cost of 15 people who lost their lives; now the land has been given to Bodoland. The entire Behali forest has been given to the Bodoland area. Who will this land go to? Adani or Riniki Bhuyan? There is hardly any land left in Behali,” Das said.
The BJP, during the campaign, stated that the BJP government has worked hard to bring about development in Behali.
“The people of behali know that there is a double-engine government with the BJP-led government in Centre and the State. People here have received the benefits of the schemes such as Orunodoi and Nijut Moina. Changes such as creation of roads, electricity, ration, and skills and vocational training among other steps have been ensured by the BJP to bring about development in the area,” Union Minister Pabitra Margherita said.
The Union Minister who is also campaigning for BJP candidate Diganta Ghatowar urged the Opposition and the Congress to not create division in the society in the name of votes.
“Diganta Ghatowar is a young leader from this area. He represents not just the tea tribes but all people from Behali. We request everyone to not insult the tea tribe community. We request the Congress to not take such steps that divides the society in the name of votes,” said Margherita, adding that the BJP is focused on a door-to-door campaign for the by-polls.
