GUWAHATI: The Assam Congress staged a sit-in demonstration at Rajiv Bhawan in Guwahati on Monday, demanding the withdrawal of smart meters across the state.
The protest was led by Congress leader and Assam Mahila Congress president Mira Borthakur, emphasizing the widespread discontent over the new electricity meters.
Borthakur accused Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of using divisive politics to deflect attention from the concerns surrounding smart meters.
She claimed that important issues such as smart meters cannot be diverted by bringing up divisive politics.
Condemning the government over the handling of smart meters, Debabrata Saikia, the Leader of the Opposition, alleged that the people of the state were being exploited under the guise of smart meter implementation.
Borthakur also condemned the government’s handling of the Assam Direct Recruitment Examination (ADRE) exam. “They have not been able to conduct the exam properly yesterday, given the kind of harassment they have subjected the candidates to,” she added.
The Congress leader was referring to a complaint filed by a candidate from Nalbari, where she accused security personnel deployed in the exam centre of undignified frisking.
Saikia also raised concerns about the prevalence of online trading scams and questioned the effectiveness of current law enforcement measures.
He said, “In 2013, we enacted a law prohibiting online trading without prior approval from the Deputy Commissioner. So, I ask, who has allowed this law to be violated?”
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He demanded a joint investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and the current Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court into the scams.
“Such exploitation “does not take place without political backing and support,” he claimed.
