Guwahati: The Youth Wing of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) has filed two separate FIRs against Cabinet Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah, accusing him of corruption tied to the Garukhuti agricultural project.
Youth Congress leaders submitted the complaints in Guwahati and Biswanath and demanded an investigation into the alleged misuse of public funds.
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In Guwahati, members of the Youth Congress filed the FIR at Bhangagarh Police Station. They accused Mallabaruah of diverting welfare scheme funds, originally meant for deserving citizens, to the families of politically influential figures.
At a press conference following the filing, a Youth Congress representative questioned the double standards in welfare disbursement. “Ordinary people must present proper documents to access schemes like Orunodoi. But are the same rules applied to ministers’ families?” he asked.
Another Youth Congress member criticized the state government’s focus. “Assam faces a debt burden exceeding Rs 1 lakh crore, while youth unemployment and inflation continue to rise. Yet, instead of improving the Gross State Domestic Product, our leaders seem more interested in boosting their own ‘Gross Escalated Family Product,’” he remarked.
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The youth wing also targeted several BJP leaders who previously served in the Congress under Tarun Gogoi’s leadership.
According to Congress spokesperson Deep Bayan, these leaders admitted to engaging in syndicate-style operations during Gogoi’s later years in office.
“Now, they hold ministerial roles in the current government despite having damaged the image of the Congress party back then,” Bayan stated.
Meanwhile, in Biswanath, the local Youth Congress unit filed another FIR accusing Mallabaruah of misusing public funds during the procurement of Gir cows for the Garukhuti project. The complaint alleges criminal misappropriation, cheating, and corruption.
Manash Jyoti Saikia, President of the Biswanath District Congress, called for an investigation into the minister’s actions during his tenure with the Congress.
Separately, the Biswanath Chariali Press Club condemned Mallabaruah for making a derogatory remark aimed at journalists. They demanded a formal apology for his reference to reporters as “tolor srenir manuh”, a term interpreted as “people from the lower rung.” Aamir Khan, the club’s General Secretary, called the comment divisive and offensive. “Does the minister not rely on votes from the same ‘lower classes’ he seems to look down on?” he asked.
Facing public pressure, Minister Mallabaruah issued a statement of “deep regret” on social media on June 29, addressing the backlash over his remarks. His comment, made during a press briefing, had sparked widespread protests by journalists and media groups across Assam.