Assam minister Pijush Hazarika on March 29 accused the Congress of “copy-pasting” the BJP government’s welfare schemes after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge unveiled a five-point guarantee package at a rally in Naoboicha, Lakhimpur district. Hazarika said the opposition had offered no fresh roadmap and was merely repackaging schemes already running under Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Kharge’s package, announced at the Lakhimpur rally, included monthly cash transfers for women, a one-time additional Rs 50,000 to help women start businesses, Rs 25 lakh cashless health insurance for every family, a monthly stipend of Rs 1,250 for senior citizens, and permanent land rights for 10 lakh indigenous people. He also vowed to deliver justice in the Zubeen Garg death case within 100 days of assuming power.
Responding on social media, Hazarika listed Assam’s existing programmes — from the Orunodoi cash transfer to Mission Basundhara and the Mukhya Mantri Mahila Udyamita Yojana — and accused Congress of lifting those ideas wholesale. “For five years, Congress ran a campaign claiming the BJP government was ‘creating beneficiaries’ funded through borrowings,” Hazarika wrote. “Today, instead of giving an alternative road map, Congress is simply promising to continue our excellent track record.”
Hazarika questioned the credibility of what he called a “lazy and hypocrite Congress” and raised concerns about funding, pointing to criticism the party has faced over state finances after its victory in Himachal Pradesh. “Can they explain how they will fund these schemes? Or will they turn Assam into what they have done to Himachal Pradesh?” he asked.
He also targeted an omission in the Congress guarantees: the BJP’s promise to reclaim roughly five lakh bighas of encroached land. Hazarika alleged the party avoided the issue because, he claimed, “their core vote bank are those illegals who are occupying thousands of hectares of land belonging to the people of Assam.”
At the same rally, Kharge struck back at the ruling party, accusing the BJP-led government of rampant corruption and using its “double engine” arrangement to benefit its leaders and families. He alleged Chief Minister Sarma had sidelined former CM Sarbananda Sonowal after the 2021 elections and accused the state administration of fostering fear and attempting to divide communities.
The exchange sharpens political rhetoric in Assam as elections approach, with both parties now competing on nearly identical welfare promises and seeking to frame who can credibly deliver and fund those commitments.
Original Source: https://www.indiatodayne.in/elections/story/simply-copy-pasted-every-scheme-assam-minister-pijush-hazarika-questions-congress-guarantees-1367459-2026-03-30?utm_source=rssfeed
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Publish Date: 2026-03-30 10:55:00
