Protesters in Hailakandi also highlight acute drinking water shortages and denial of housing benefits, questioning the ruling party’s commitment to their welfare.
Frustrated over being excluded from state welfare initiatives, more than a hundred women belonging to various Self-Help Groups (SHGs) staged a massive protest in Nishchintapur on Sunday, warning of a complete election boycott if their demands are not met.
The demonstration, organized by residents of Nishchintapur Part I under the Kanchanpur Gaon Panchayat in Lala Block, was primarily triggered by the denial of the government’s women entrepreneurship funds. The protesters pointed out that during the Chief Minister’s recent visit to Hailakandi, financial assistance cheques of Rs 10,000 were officially distributed to a vast majority of women across the district. However, numerous SHG members in the Nishchintapur area were inexplicably left off the beneficiary list.
Raising slogans against the administration, the agitating women delivered a strict ultimatum: release the Rs 10,000 cheques or face a vote boycott. Highlighting a deep sense of political betrayal, the demonstrators publicly questioned the ruling BJP. They asked why they were being subjected to such discrimination when the party frequently asserts its strong commitment to the protection and overall development of the Hindu community.
The protest also shed light on severe infrastructural and civic neglect in the area, which falls under the 122 Hailakandi Legislative Assembly Constituency. According to the demonstrators, several hundred women have been entirely deprived of government housing schemes and free toilet facilities.
Furthermore, the village is grappling with a dire drinking water crisis. Locals alleged that despite the presence of a Public Health Engineering (PHE) project in Nishchintapur Part I, authorities fail to supply drinking water even once in a 15-day span.
The Sunday agitation was spearheaded by several local women, with prominent attendees including Rumi Debi, Rita Nath, Shilpi Naidu, Purnimarani Nath, Sandipa Majumder, Archita Nath, Babita, Yasmin, Ayesha, and Rupali Naidu, among others.