GUWAHATI:
“Atithi Devo Bhava” has always been a sacred adage for Indians and when it came to hosting “guests” rebel Shiv Sena legislators in Guwahati, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government seems to have followed the adage both in letter and spirit.
At a time when the state is reeling under flood and landslides, the government accommodated close to 50 MLAs from Maharashtra in a city luxury hotel, the price of which amounted to close to Rs 1.20 crore a week.
A total of 20 rooms were booked for the MLAs at the cost of Rs 56 lakh to “finalise their strategy” to form a government in Maharashtra. Apart from the room charge, the daily expenses for food and other services amounted to Rs 8 lakh taking the total seven-day cost to Rs 1.20 crore. The MLAs stayed in lush surroundings, which included an outdoor pool, a spa and five restaurants. Other miscellaneous expenses such as travel costs are yet to be known.
The rebel MLAs, however, were a considerate bunch and before leaving for Goa ahead of a floor test of Uddhav Thackeray-led government in Maharashtra, they returned the favour by contributing Rs 51 lakh towards the Assam Chief Minister Relief Fund as aid to the flood-relief efforts in the state.
Meanwhile, state’s parliamentary affairs minister Pijush Hazarika described the visiting MLAs as “guests” of the state and for that reason the Assam government is providing assistance to them.
His statement came after he, along with BJP MP Pallab Lochan Das, MLA Diganta Kalita and Guwahati Police joint commissioner Partha Sarathi Mahanta accompanied the rebel legislators in their bus journey from hotel to Kamakhya temple on Wednesday morning.
“They told the administration that they would like to visit Kamakhya temple. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma then assigned me to assist them because they are our guests,” Hazarika told reporters. “It is the duty of the state government to help any guest coming to the state,” he added.
Earlier in the week, Chief Minister Sarma had claimed that the presence of the rebel MLAs in Guwahati was a “boon” for the state as it brought in much needed revenue in the form of tourism vis-a-vis national attention to the Assam’s flood situation.
“We should be happy as it will bring in revenue. We will earn through GST and we need it during these difficult times of devastating floods in the state”, the chief minister had said.
The opposition, on the other hand, criticised the state government for giving too much attention to the “guests”, especially at a time when the grim flood situation has claimed 146 lives in the state this year.