The Opposition Congress on Sunday said some decisions taken by the Assam cabinet on Saturday lacked clarity about their implementation, while some others were a mere reiteration of the government’s earlier promises.

The Assam cabinet on Saturday made a slew of announcements, which are being seen as an effort to douse the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019.

Assam PCC media department chairman Bhagirath Karan said the cabinet decisions gave the impression that the government had announced its annual budget beforehand. He said at this moment the state government should have asked the Centre not to impose the Act on the state instead of offering sops.

“The cabinet promised autonomous councils for three communities. The Constitution promises autonomous council only to indigenous communities. It was not clear how the new autonomous councils will be set up, what benefits they will get and what will be their demarcation,” Karan said.

The cabinet announced three autonomous councils — one for Koch Rajbongshi community (Kamtapur Autonomous Council) residing in undivided Goalpara district, excluding BTAD and Rabha Hasong areas, and two more for Moran and Muttock communities. The three communities have been demanding Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

Karan said the Congress had constituted 33 development councils, which have been made non-functional after the BJP-led government came to power in the state. “Now, having panicked at the sustained anti-CAA movement, the cabinet has announced formation of the three development councils,” he said.

Karan said construction of 100 high schools in tea garden areas was a promise made by the government three years ago. “The state government has done nothing to fulfil the promise. As far as we know, it has failed to get land to set up these schools,” he said.

On the announcement to increase daily wage of Assam Tea Corporation Ltd workers from Rs 138to Rs 167 from January 1 next year, Karan said it was long overdue. “The cabinet has announced an increase in allocation to the tea tribes welfare department. What happened to the government’s earlier promise to spare five per cent budgetary allocation from each department for development of the tea garden community?” he asked.