'Women forced to attend BJP rallies or risk losing benefits': Priyanka in Nazira

Guwahati, April 1: On her second visit to Assam in 39 days, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, on Wednesday, launched a sharp attack on the ruling BJP government, alleging that its women-centric welfare schemes are being used to pressure beneficiaries into attending political rallies.

Vadra landed at Mohanbari Airport in Dibrugarh and proceeded to Nazira in Sivasagar district, where she campaigned for Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia.

Addressing a gathering in the historic town, she claimed that women across the state are being coerced into attending rallies addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

“Be it the Prime Minister’s programme or the Chief Minister’s, women are being forced to attend rallies or are threatened with removal from beneficiary lists. In every household, women are troubled; should they manage their daily chores, go to tea garden work to earn, or attend rallies? That’s not how schemes should function,” she said.

Emphasising that welfare schemes are meant for public benefit, Vadra said they should not be used as tools of political pressure.

“This is public money. It does not belong to the Chief Minister or the government. People have a right to it and should have the freedom to access it without conditions,” she added.

Raising concerns over tea garden workers, Vadra said their wages have seen little improvement despite earlier promises.

“When I visited Nazira earlier, people told me their wages were very low. The BJP had promised Rs 300–350. Even today, workers say only a marginal increase has taken place,” she said.

She also criticised the government for failing to grant Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to several tribal and Adivasi communities. “This promise is repeated in every election campaign, yet after five years in power, nothing has been delivered. It reflects a lack of intent,” she said.

Vadra further alleged that fuel prices could rise after the elections.

“It is election time now, but once polls are over, petrol prices will increase. People do not want a government that holds them back through fear. Assam wants a progressive and fearless future,” she said.

Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she accused him of compromising national interests.

“They speak of a ‘double-engine government’, but what we see is ‘double servitude’. The Prime Minister has become subservient to America, and Assam’s leadership is following the same path,” she alleged.

Concluding her address, Vadra urged people to stand with dignity and work towards a better future for the state.

“The Assam which Zubeen Garg dreamed about - a corruption-free and full of opportunities for the next generation - is within reach if people come together for change,” she said.