Assam: 95 pc increase in wealth of re-elected MLAs: report

Guwahati: There has been a whopping 95 per cent growth in the wealth of the MLAs, who were re-elected to the Assam state Assembly in 2016, a report said.

The Assam Election Watch and Association of Democratic Rights, analysis of self sworn 34 affidavits showed, Assam tourism minister Chandan Brahma registered the highest growth rate of assets among the re-elected MLAs of the state.

Finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and former chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta also figure among the top five re-elected MLAs whose assets increased significantly between 2011 and 2016, according to a report.

The average growth of assets of re-elected MLAs in 2016 was Rs 1.48 crore, registering an increase by 95 per cent, the report said.

Brahma’s assets increased from Rs two crore in 2011 to Rs nine crore in 2016, registering an increase of 268 per cent while Ajmal’s increased from Rs six crore to Rs 13 crore.

Sarma, who joined the BJP from Congress before the 2016 assembly polls, has an increase in assets from Rs three crore to six crore, registering a growth of 108 per cent.

The two-time former AGP chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta’s assets increased from Rs four crore to seven crore, registering an increase of 63 per cent.

Islams assets increased from Rs two crore to Rs five crore, registering an increase of 129 per cent.

BPF as a party registered the highest average increase of 200.97 per cent in assets followed by the AIUDF with 93.26 per cent, Congress by 85.75 per cent, BJP by 75.82 per cent and AGP by 95 per cent.

Among the 34 re-elected MLAs whose assets were analysed, 10 are from the Congress, eight each from ruling alliance partners BJP and BPF and four each from AGP, also an alliance partner of the government, and AIUDF.

The MLAs include eight ministers - three from the BPF, two each from the BJP and besides Sarma and Brahma, they include BJP's Naba Kumar Doley and Pijush Hazarika, BPF's Pramila Rani Brahma and Rihon Daimary and AGP's Keshab Mahanta and Phani Bhushan Choudhury.

The other MLAs whose assets have increased between the two assembly polls include BJP state unit President Ranjeet Kumar Dass, Padma Hazarika, Binanda Kumar Saikia, Prasanta Phukan and Bolin Chetia, BPFs Emmaneul Mosahary, Maneswar Brahma, Majendra Narzary, Kamalsingh Narzary and Kamali Basumatari and AGP’s Utpal Dutta.

The other Congress MLAs include Sherman Ali Ahmed, Rakibul Hussain, Rekibuddin Ahmed, late Jamaluddin Ahmed, Sukur Ali, Md Ilias Ali, Rupjyoti Kurmi and Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha and AIUDF’s Hafiz Bashir Ahmed and Aminul Islam.

Opposition leader Debabrata Saikia and AIUDF’s Abul Kalam Azad had shown a decrease in their assets with the former’s declining by 17 per cent and the latter’s by two per cent. (UNI)