Congress accuses NDA govt of neglecting Seemanchal, calls out PM’s ‘false promises’

The Congress on Thursday (November 6) accused the NDA government in Bihar of making "false promises" and neglecting the development of Bhagalpur and Seemanchal regions, asserting that this time the people will respond by defeating the ruling alliance with the power of their votes.

Slams unfulfilled promises

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh asked why has the "double-engine government" neglected Seemanchal and left this region in a state of disrepair.

"'Pradhan Mantri ka jhooth sabse mazboot'!! Today, the Prime Minister is coming to Bhagalpur and Seemanchal. On this occasion, we want to remind him of some of his past false promises and ask him a few direct questions," Ramesh said on X.

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In 2015, the prime minister said he would build Vikramshila Central University in Bhagalpur on 500 acres with a cost of Rs. 500 crore but 10 years later, not even a single brick has been laid, he said. Did Vikramshila also vanish like the Rs. 1.25 lakh crore package, Ramesh asked.

Delays in key projects flagged

"In 2014, the prime minister confidently declared about the Motihari Sugar Mill, 'Next time I visit, I will drink tea made with sugar from this mill.' Eleven years have passed. People are still waiting for tea. Why did the prime minister tell such a blatant lie to the people of Motihari?" he said in his post in Hindi on X.

In 2020, a promise of Rs. 1,264 crore was made for the Darbhanga AIIMS, Ramesh pointed out.

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"To date, neither the building has been constructed nor the hospital has been operational. Meanwhile, the prime minister also claimed that the Darbhanga AIIMS would be operational in 2023. Will the Darbhanga AIIMS ever become a reality beyond the manifesto?" he said.

Twenty years of neglect

Ramesh claimed that poverty and misery are at their peak in Seemanchal. "The NITI Aayog report states: 52 per cent of the population of Araria, 50 per cent of the population of Purnia, more than 45 per cent of the population of Kishanganj-Katihar, still struggle with multidimensional poverty," he said.

Ramesh alleged that Seemanchal has been neglected during the 20 years of the BJP-JDU government, as a result of which nearly half the population in the region is in the grip of extreme poverty. "Why has the double-engine government neglected Seemanchal and left this region in such a state of disrepair?" he said.

Struggle with poverty

Ramesh further pointed out that the Asian Development Research Institute (ADRI) report also reveals the reality of Seemanchal.

"In Araria, Purnia, Kishanganj, and Katihar: 73 per cent of households do not have a tap or hand pump; 33 per cent of households defecate in the open; 65 per cent of households use wood-fired stoves — increasing the risk of lung disease; 84 per cent of households have less than three basic items (such as a TV, fan, bicycle, etc.) in their homes. This means extreme poverty. Most households depend on agriculture, but more than 40 per cent are landless," the Congress leader said.

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Why was this entire region kept away from development under the "trouble engine government" and why was it deliberately left in backwardness, Ramesh asked.

Overall, there is no education, no healthcare, no employment in Seemanchal, he claimed. "There is only poverty and migration. The prime minister's development is not visible here even remotely," Ramesh said. This time the people of Seemanchal and Bhagalpur will respond to this neglect by defeating NDA with the power of their votes, he asserted.

(With agency inputs)