Guwahati : As Assam continues to grapple with severe flooding, Congress Member of Parliament Gaurav Gogoi has expressed grave concerns over the state’s flood management and criticized the BJP government for its handling of embankment projects.

“I had said that it is a matter of great concern, I am very concerned and I think the central government should also be concerned. I am aware that Prime Minister Modi talked to the Chief Minister, but I am worried about whether the Chief Minister himself knows the real truth or not”, stated Gogoi.

Gogoi pointed out the persistent issues with the embankment projects overseen by the Jal Shakti Department under the BJP government. “For the last 10 years, we have been seeing that the Jal Shakti Department of the BJP government is repeatedly giving embankment projects to contractors who build broken embankments or are not able to do their work properly while building embankments, but even after that, the same contractor gets work again and again.”

He further accused the BJP government in Assam of exploiting the Ministry of Jal Shakti’s flood protection schemes for financial gain. “Somewhere, the BJP government in Assam is using the Ministry of Jal Shakti and these flood protection schemes as an ATM. They don’t want a real long-time solution to the crisis.”

Gogoi elaborated on the alleged substandard work being carried out under these schemes. “By doing these kinds of substandard works, they try to take out money from the Ministry of Jal Shakti. That’s why I have urged the Centre to come and visit Assam and see the amount of money that has been looted in the name of flood.”

The Congress MP’s statements come as Assam faces another year of devastating floods, raising questions about the effectiveness of current flood management strategies and the integrity of the ongoing embankment projects.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, on July 5, reacted to Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi’s comments where he criticised the Water Resources Department by likening it to an ATM machine.

Gogoi had alleged that BJP ministers had secret agreements with contractors, enabling them to siphon off money from the Water Resources Department. He made these remarks yesterday in Dibrugarh, accusing the department of widespread corruption.

In response, Chief Minister Sarma stated, “The breaches in the embankments this year are fewer, and the ones that have broken are not the ones constructed during our tenure. If someone indirectly insults their own father, what can I do? There is no solution in my hands. The embankments that have broken were built during the Congress era. If someone chooses to criticize their own father, what can I do?”

Speaking to media, the chief minister emphasised that the current administration is not responsible for the embankments that have failed, pointing out that these were constructed during the Congress rule.  Sarma, on July 5, visited Dibrugarh to take a stock of the flood situation in the areas. He also spoke to affected residents who shared their concerns with the Chief Minister.