Assam Congress leader slams BJP government over flood relief allocation

Bhupen Bora, President of the Assam Congress, took to social media on X to criticize the BJP government's handling of flood relief funds for Assam over the past five years. Bora highlighted that despite the Assam BJP government's requests totaling Rs 10,785 crore for flood-related relief and reconstruction, the state received only Rs 250 crore from the Centre.

"In the last 5 years, the BJP government in Assam requested Rs 10,785 crore for flood-related relief and reconstruction. Do you know how much Assam received? Just Rs 250 crore! Meanwhile, Narendra Modi has limited his love for Assam to writing platitudes on social media," Bora posted.

Bora further criticized former Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal for focusing on events like Namami Brahmaputra during his tenure and current CM Himanta Biswa Sarma for allegedly faulting embankment quality instead of addressing core flood infrastructure issues.

"Flood-related infrastructure requires maintenance. Where was the money all these years? A mere Rs 250 crore in 5 years is not even enough to provide relief, what to talk of infrastructure maintenance!" Bora emphasized.

He also cited specific figures from the requests made by the Assam government and the actual funds received:
- 2018-19: Requested Rs 2509 crore, Received Nil
- 2019-20: Requested Rs 3237 crore, Received Nil
- 2020-21: Requested Rs 2640 crore, Received Rs 44 crore
- 2021-22: Requested Rs 1088 crore, Received Rs 51 crore
- 2022-23: Requested Rs 1309 crore, Received Rs 160 crore

Bora's critique came in response to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's recent statement on social media acknowledging the flood situation in Assam and assuring support from the Centre through NDRF and SDRF operations.

The disparity between requested and received funds remains a contentious issue in Assam, especially during the monsoon season when floods annually affect large parts of the state, causing extensive damage to infrastructure and livelihoods.