Assam Congress doing 'election tourism' in tea gardens ahead of Lok Sabha polls, claims minister Jayanta Malla Baruah

Assam state tourism minister Jayanta Malla Baruah on September 9 took a potshot at the state Congress party and claimed that the latter is doing election tourism in tea gardens areas.

Speaking to the media, cabinet minister Jayanta Malla Baruah said, "Tea gardens of Assam are like our own homes and we are always at home working for the improvement of homes as well as security."

Slamming the Congress party, the minister said that the Congress party has been isolated from the people of the tea estates for a long time and now because of the Lok Sabha election they are here.

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"Now election has come and they will have to do election tourism in tea gardens and as the state tourism minister even I am happy because the tea tourism sector has developed and someone should be there to notice the difference...Bhupen Borah and other Congress leaders are doing good election tourism and I welcome them to visit all the tea estates and see the development," the minister added.

Speaking of the impact of Congress in the upcoming Lok Sabha election, Baruah said that home people will always stay at their respective houses and claimed that tea gardens are the homes of the saffron party.

"Congress are like tourists, they have come and will go...tea garden people will remain with us because Himanta Biswa Sarma led state government took them as their own family and provided social security," said Baurah.