Himanta Biswa Sarma churns out ‘women friendly’ pre-election Budget

Guwahati, February 6, 2019:

With the Assam BJP administration under fire from all quarters due to the passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016, state Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has presented a budget that is expected to woo back BJP support in the state. Amid allegations that the current budget, the last before Lok Sabha elections, has no real significance as it shall come into practice on April 1.

The opposition, including former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, have been quick to blast the Bill as a pre-election ‘jumla’ and Gogoi stated that it does not address the “ground realities”. Meanwhile, Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal has come out and hailed the budget as reflecting the “dreams of the people.”

But the budget, as it stands, will benefit the poor and middle class. But it will mostly benefit the poor. The Assam Government has announced that 1 ‘tola’ of gold will be given to a girl’s father during a marriage. Although it will no doubt help ease the burden of many a worried father, it can also be construed as the Government giving validation to the heinous practice of ‘dowry’.

Further, the Government has promised facilities for the minority girl students studying within the periphery of the state. The BJP, which has often been blamed for fanning the flames of communalism in the state, has tried their best to appease the indigenous Muslim community. It remains to be seen to what extent they will succeed in providing quality education to the Muslim minority in the state.

Also, the Government has promised to uplift the condition of widows, irrespective of their economic condition by making them eligible to receive instant monetary benefits from the Government. In an eco-friendly move, the Government has also promised ‘e-bikes’ to girls who secure first division in higher secondary exams.

The past blunders of this administration will be forgiven if they can take care of the elderly, the infirm, and most importantly, the girls of the state. Only time will tell whether they are able to come through on their promises or they are simply dangling the proverbial ‘meat of prosperity’ as a pre-election ‘lollipop’.