Nagpur: A few days after rebel Shiv Sena MLA Eknath Shinde along with 30 other MLAs reached Guwahati from Surat and started campaigning at a luxurious hotel, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the state has many good hotels and anyone can come to stay here.
While talking to the reporters, the Assam CM said, “Great hotels are there in Assam. Why shouldn’t people come here?”. He further said, “I don’t know if Maharashtra MLAs are staying in Assam. MLAs of other states can also come and stay in Assam.”
On Wednesday, Sarma said that he was ready to welcome everyone in the state as it needed funds to deal with the raging flood. He said, “Guwahati has many luxury hotels and if the rooms are full we should be happy as it will bring in revenue. We will earn through GST and we need it during these difficult times of devastating floods in the state. Why should we turn away Goddess Lakshmi when most of our hotels are empty or have low occupancy during this period.”
Meanwhile, the situation in Assam remained grim as the death toll due to floods in the region has crossed the 107-mark. Of the 107, 17 lost their lives due to landslides. Barpeta is one of the worst-hit districts, affecting over 10.3 lakh people.