Congress alleges Assam CM received Rs 10 cr subsidy from Centre; Himanta Sarma denies charge
Sep 13, 2023
Assam [India], September 13 : Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has used the Centre's subsidy for his wife's company, alleged Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi on Wednesday.
Taking to his X handle, Gogoi posted documents to support his claim, which include Rinki Sarma's "Pride East Entertainments Private Limited" marked on agro-processing cluster projects under the APC Scheme.
"PM Modi launched the Kisan Sampada scheme to double the income of farmers in India. But in Assam, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma used his influence to help his wife’s firm get Rs 10 crore as part of a credit-linked subsidy. Are central government schemes meant to enrich the BJP?" wrote Gogoi on X.
Countering his charge, the Assam CM replied that neither his wife nor his wife's company has ever received any financial subsidies from the food ministry. "I would like to clarify that neither my wife nor the company she is associated with has ever received any financial subsidies from the Government of India," wrote Himanta Sarma on X.
In a separate post on X, Goigoi claimed that the website of the food ministry shows the name of Rinki Bhuyan Sarma and her company. The Congress leader alleged that Rs 10 crore had been granted to his company by the Centre.
"The Ministry of Food Processing website clearly shows the name of the person and the company she is associated with. The Rs 10 crore government grant has also been approved," he wrote, adding, "Please report to the Union Minister if their website has been hacked."
"I would like to reiterate again with full responsibility that my wife and the company she is associated with have not taken or received any subsidies from the Government of India," responded Himanta Sarma to the allegation levelled by Gogoi. To this, Gogoi responded by sharing the link. "For the convenience of the Hon’ble Chief Minister, I am attaching the link to the website of the Ministry of Food Processing. It shows the list of companies and promoters who have received the Rs 10 crore government subsidy. Please see serial 10," he wrote.
The development comes as the Opposition parties under the INDIA bloc are preparing to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The first meeting of the Coordination Committee of the INDIA Alliance is set to be held today (September 13) in the national capital, where the opposition leaders are likely to discuss the Special Session of Parliament, among other things.
