'Cow Scam' Puts BJP In Soup: Cows Meant For Assam Farmers Handed Over To Party Leaders, Says Report

Assam Cow 'Scam': A Gir cow scheme in Assam is under fire over missing cattle, alleged favouritism, and BJP links, raising questions on transparency, fund use, and denied farmer benefits.

An alleged 'cow scam' has put the focus on the BJP in Assam (Representative image of a Gir cow).

Source : Pexels

The Gorukhuti Bahumukhi Krishi Prakalpa (GBKP), once hailed as a flagship initiative to uplift Assam's rural economy, is now under fire over serious allegations of mismanagement, missing livestock, and questionable allocation of public resources. Launched in 2021 with ambitious goals and a hefty public investment of nearly ₹17 crore, the project aimed to boost dairy farming in the region by introducing high-yield Gir cows. But instead of delivering prosperity, the scheme appears mired in confusion, irregularities, and growing public distrust. And at the centre of the alleged scam is the BJP.

At the heart of the controversy lies a murky trail involving the procurement and distribution of Gir cows, which were supposed to be the cornerstone of the dairy transformation. The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) was tasked with delivering 300 Gir cows in 2022, according to documents accessed through RTI queries. However, what transpired paints a troubling picture.

What Is Assam's Cow Scam?

Out of the promised 300 cows, only 210 reportedly arrived. Of these, 154 were deemed unfit and returned, while 56 died, leaving just 90 cows unaccounted for. But instead of reaching the intended beneficiaries, the local farmers, these 90 cows were handed over to seven "public representatives" due to the facility's lack of infrastructure to house them, reported India Today. This revelation, disclosed by the project's nodal veterinary officer Jugabrata Nath, via an RTI, has triggered outrage and suspicion.

What followed only deepened the crisis. The administration of the GBKP shifted from state departments to a society headed by BJP MLA Padma Hazarika, a move that ushered in fresh allegations of favouritism and non-transparent practices. Without any public notification or clear eligibility criteria, cows were reportedly handed out to individuals with ties to the project's leadership, the report further alleged.

Among the notable recipients were BJP state president Dilip Saikia and several MLAs. Saikia, in particular, came under the scanner after documents revealed he paid ₹1,00,000 for two pregnant cows that were valued at ₹1,32,000 as of March 2023. Furthermore, there was no official record of him returning the cows or transferring them to farmers as claimed.

Farmers Denied Benefits

The promised distribution to local farmers, facilitated by the so-called "public representatives", never materialised. There has been no official explanation for this failure, compounding the public's growing frustration. With glaring discrepancies and missing accountability, calls for a third-party audit have intensified.

Adding fuel to the fire, JMB Aqua Agro — a firm purportedly owned by the wife of Assam Cabinet Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah — received a sizeable government subsidy alongside cow allocations, the report further stated. Although Baruah defended the move, claiming the subsidy was open to all eligible applicants, critics have slammed the decision, arguing that genuine farmers were sidelined in favour of politically connected entities.

As criticism mounts, key figures associated with the project, including Saikia, have remained tight-lipped.

Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi said: "I had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding this issue. What we're witnessing now reflects the true face of the BJP's leadership in Assam."