Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing the Assam government of misusing central agricultural schemes to extend political patronage and benefit relatives of ruling party leaders.
At the centre of Gogoi’s allegation is the Assistance to Entrepreneur for Establishment of Commercial Dairy Farming (2022–23) scheme, which offers subsidies of up to Rs 50 lakh per unit to promote entrepreneurship in dairy farming.
Gogoi claims that instead of empowering genuine farmers, the scheme has been hijacked to reward close associates and family members of BJP ministers and MLAs.
“The scheme was intended to strengthen local dairy production and create livelihood opportunities. Instead, several beneficiaries reportedly include relatives of sitting ministers and legislators,” Gogoi wrote, citing examples from Bongaigaon district, where veteran dairy farmers were allegedly overlooked despite repeated applications.
Gogoi also took direct aim at Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for defending the inclusion of ministers’ relatives in the beneficiary list.
“Such justification only deepens public distrust and reflects a blatant disregard for the constitutional values of fairness and justice,” he wrote.
Further, Gogoi flagged alleged irregularities in the high-profile Gorukhuti agricultural project, which has received over Rs 5.5 crore in funding to revitalise agrarian livelihoods.
According to him, the distribution of Gir cows under the project was marred by favouritism, with livestock being allotted to entities linked to several political figures.
“This kind of resource diversion is a betrayal of public interest and undermines the core intent of welfare initiatives,” Gogoi wrote.
He urged the Prime Minister to order a thorough investigation into both schemes and ensure transparency and accountability.
“If we allow schemes meant for the marginalised to be monopolised by the politically connected, we risk destroying the very foundation of equitable development,” he said.