President of Assam Pradesh Mahila Congress Mira Borthakur Goswami on Saturday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Assam. She said that the Prime Minister talks about development and handing over projects, but ignores local voices and local resources. In her remarks, she asked why the Prime Minister remembered corporate groups but not respected artists from Assam.
Mira Borthakur said, “Modi has given Assam’s resources to Adani in the name of development. But why did he not remember our own resource, Zubeen Garg, even once?” She said that the government must respect Assamese cultural icons as they represent the identity and pride of the state. According to her, big companies were favoured while local concerns were ignored.
Earlier in the day, two senior Congress leaders also questioned the Prime Minister’s statements and development claims. Assam Congress President and Lok Sabha Deputy Leader of Opposition Gaurav Gogoi criticised the performance of the government in the Northeast. Leader of Opposition in the Assam Legislative Assembly Debabrata Saikia said that a public event described as non-political turned political when the Prime Minister brought up issues against the Congress. 
Gaurav Gogoi called the Prime Minister’s work in the Northeast a “poor report card”. He demanded that the Centre release a white paper on the funds given to Assam for tackling floods and erosion. Speaking to journalists in Majuli, Gogoi said that development in the region has been “extremely poor” in the last ten years. He criticised the closure of paper mills, delays in the Namrup fertiliser project, and the sale of plantations under the Assam Tea Corporation.
Gogoi said that new announcements should not be made at the cost of existing industries. He referred to the semiconductor project at Jagiroad and said the earlier functioning paper mill was shut down for it. He said that industries should not be weakened while new ones are set up. According to him, government decisions are now benefiting a limited group linked to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and business houses close to the ruling establishment.
The Congress leader also spoke about cultural issues and alleged that the government tried to malign the late singer Zubeen Garg for opposing the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. Gogoi said that pressure was put on supporters and members of the singer’s family. He also criticised India’s foreign policy and mentioned the killing of a youth in Bangladesh. He said that India’s relationships with neighbouring countries are weakening.
Gogoi said that the Congress will take its message to the public through the “Raijor Padulit Raijor Congress” programme ahead of the Assembly elections. He said that the party will focus on education, rural health, tackling drug abuse, and developing village sports infrastructure.
Debabrata Saikia also criticised the Prime Minister. He said that although the visit to Assam was announced as non-political, the speech at the inauguration of the Adani-run airport and other events had political messages. Saikia said that the Prime Minister accused the Congress of weakening Assamese identity, which turned the event political in nature.
Saikia said that earlier Congress governments had taken steps to detect and deport illegal foreigners. He said that the BJP had promised to protect “Jati, Mati and Beti”, but official statistics do not match those promises. According to him, the ruling party spreads attractive narratives before elections but fails to deliver results later.
Saikia alleged that public speeches by senior BJP leaders, including the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister, create a misleading picture. He said that there is a gap between promises and actions, and that the people of Assam will judge this during elections.
