Assam village where just one family lives
Nalbari (PTI): A village in Assam's Nalbari district, which had the road leading to it inaugurated by a former chief minister many years ago, is now almost deserted barring a single family.
From being a prosperous village in the last century to just 16 people in the 2011 census, No 2 Bardhanara village currently has a single family with five members, due to lack of a proper road.
Bimal Deka, his wife Anima and their three children Naren, Dipali and Seuti are the only dwellers of this village in Ghograpara circle, around 12 km from the headquarters town Nalbari.
"We have to travel 2 km through water and muddy paths to reach the nearest motorable road to attend our school and college. During monsoons, we commute through a country boat," Dipali said.
Anima rows the boat to ferry her children back and forth, but despite such tough conditions, the family has ensured proper education for all three.
While Dipali and Naren are graduates, Seuti is doing her higher secondary.
With no electricity, the children study under the light of kerosene lamps. The boat becomes the sole mode of transportation for the family when it rains as all the paths within the village get submerged.
The condition of this revenue village spread across 162 hectares was not so pathetic till a few decades ago, people of nearby areas claimed.
Known for high agricultural yield, former chief minister Bishnuram Medhi had visited No 2 Bardhanara a few decades ago to inaugurate a road leading to the village.
Anima said the apathy of local authorities has worsened the condition, which led villagers to abandon it.
"Local agencies like the Zilla parishad, gaon panchayat or the block development office are not interested in carrying out any work here," she claimed, adding agriculture and animal rearing is their mainstay.
With an NGO, Gramya Vikash Mancha, recently setting up an agricultural farm in the village, the family now gets to interact with other people more often.
Farm's chairman Prithi Bhusan Deka said the village was once prosperous, but recurring floods have deserted it.
"If the government constructs a road and provides basic amenities, the agricultural potential can again be realised and people will return to the village," he added.
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BJP challenges CM Siddaramaiah to prove Rs 50 crore bribe allegation
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka BJP President B Y Vijayendra on Thursday challenged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to disclose the source of his allegation that Rs 50 crore bribe each was offered to 50 Congress MLAs to topple the government and prove his charge.
He said the Chief Minister has lost faith in his own MLAs and, hence, was levelling false allegations.
If the Chief Minister fails to prove that Rs 50 crore each was offered to 50 Congress MLAs, people will not take him seriously anymore, Vijayendra said.
Siddaramaiah declined to comment on Vijayendra’s statement.
“I will not comment on him. Why do you ask me about the person who came (into politics) just recently?” the Chief Minister said.
Vijayendra alleged that Siddaramaiah, holding a responsible position, was behaving in a manner that undermines its dignity.
“You have your own government and your own investigative agencies. Hence, it is your moral responsibility to reveal to the people the source of the Rs 50 crore bribe charge. Otherwise, your statement will be nothing more than a childish political statement,” he said.
According to him, the Chief Minister's allegation was an insult to the democratic system as it depicts the MLAs as commodities for sale.
Vijayendra charged Siddaramaiah with weaving a lie to keep the MLAs in check and cover up the corruption cases "surrounding" him.
Stating that the allegation made by the Chief Minister needs to be investigated, he said the Directorate of Enforcement should urgently take it up on its own and immediately conduct a probe.
