GUWAHATI: Speaking to reporters in Guwahati on the Golaghat hooch tragedy, Harish Rawat, General Secretary, All India Congress Committee and state in-charge, Assam said, “The state government has failed miserably to timely intervene and provide immediate health support to the victims. Our team that visited the victims in the hospitals has reported that the government has not been able to provide them proper treatment.”
Attacking the BJP-led Assam government Rawat said, “If there was an iota of human consideration in the Sarbananda Sonowal government they should have sacked the excise minister by now. It seems this illegal racket has got political and administrative protection (excise officials). This has been going on for a long time and the Congress had warned about it. The Sonowal government failed to act on time. This proves that there is an involvement of government servants and senior administrative staff. We not only demand the sacking of the excise minister but also the resignation of Sarbananda Sonowal as he has failed to protect the citizens of the state and also failed to provide treatment to the victims.”
Rawat demanded an increase in compensation to the victims and those who survived the hooch tragedy.
“The compensation by the state government is not adequate. The Congress is demanding Rs. 5 lakh as compensation. We also demand that a family member of the deceased should be provided with government or other employment. Those who have survived but whose vital organs have been damaged should also be adequately compensated,” demanded Rawat.
The senior Congressman termed the BJP governments as insensitive and lacking common sense.
“The BJP governments at both the state and the centre are insensitive. They try to see politics in everything. After the Pulwama tragedy, the Jammu and Kashmir governor has admitted that there was a failure of intelligence. The prime minister was so insensitive to this attack that he was busy shooting in Jim Corbett National Park. The attack took place at 3:10 PM and the PM addressed a political rally in Uttarakhand at 5:10 PM and did not mention anything about the terrorist attack.”
“Modiji is about to complete five years and still has not been able to understand the pulse of the country. They try to play with the fire in implementing the NRC. Then he tried to bring up the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill. Now for political gains, they have taken a decision in Arunachal Pradesh that shows that the Modi government does not have common sense,” said Harish Rawat.
On the Congress’s stand on terrorism and terrorists, Rawat stated that the party has always stood against any sort of extremism.
“As an opposition party we are duty-bound to raise any administrative lapse of the ruling party. We have made it very clear the Congress party will support any step taken by the government against terrorists, those who support them, provide safe havens,” stated Rawat.