Guwahati, May 12: Hundreds of agents of various Financial networking company ,on Saturday gathered under the banner of Assam Agents Association(AAA), Networking company, demanding the government to get the money back from the various chit fund companies including Saradha that has looted the poor people of the state of Assam. Besides, the agents also demanded their security as the lives of the agents have become very vulnerable following the shut down of chit fund companies.
The depositors are bothering the agents to get their money back and thus pressuring them, and also assaults them, even registering police case. Thus it has become difficult for the agents to stay at their homes; in fact many have to be on the run from the public. “I was literally abused, depositors come to my home daily for their money, we are unable to make them understand, so even we don’t get the interest we want only the investment money back.” Says, Ranjita Basumatary who came from Dhupdhara to join the protest.Echoing the sentiments of the protestors Amina Khatun says, “ it has become difficult for us even to come out of our homes, the customers are asking us to pay their money from our own pockets, our seniors told us not to worry about the money back guarantee.”
The protestors took out a rally with play cards that read, WE WANT OUR MONEY BACK, PROVIDE US SECURITY, EMPLOYEE 20 laks AGENTS, Etc,as they shouted slogans in the busy GS road, in 6th Mile, and the anxiety of the protestors were clear in their faces which is understandable.
We want the government just to help the money return to the public, says the secretary of the Assam Agents Association, Networking company Agent Association,Narayan Saikia. He adds, there are around 20 to 30 lak agents who have become unemployed now; the government cannot escape for being responsible since everything has happen with their full knowledge. “Had we knew this situation would have arise which would cause unemployment problems, it would had been better had taken up arms”. Exclaims Mr. Narayan Saikia.
He also told about the Mamta Banarjee government that has given a 5000 core package for the losers. However he do not expect the Assam government to do the same, instead just help to get the invested money back. “We are protesting today only for our customers, we want that investors should get their money” says the secretary.
Bijay Dutta, an agent from Arunachal Pradesh, says, “We have collected the money that was deposited in the office, we did not play any foul play if the govt. don’t help us to get the money back or help us get employment, we will be forced to take the bad road.”
It is to be noted that the Assam Chief Minister had earlier made it clear that the government have funds to help out the losers. There are people who are blaming the agents for the crisis, but at the same time it is also a fact that thousands of people were earning some money just by being an agent for networking financial companies, including women who wanted to help their families economically. There is no denying that groups like SARADHA, which has promoted their business through investing in Media houses, Biscuit Factories and such others had not only won the faith of the poor but also elite class of people and thus in this situation the agents have just become a hate target in their own backyards.
There is also much possibility that this ground situation will help many of those fraud agents and officials to escape from their ill doings. However, the story of the majority of the common agents cannot draw parallel with the formers. The Assam government has no option but to turn a blind eye towards the victims of Chit fund companies but no doubt that the government agents have already craved their niche out of it.
As of now there is little hope for the victims getting justice and their money back from any CBI cases filed relating to Chit Fund companies . The question that is being asked to the agents is that, did the agents ask the government before collecting money from the people for now they want the government to pay the loss, but the bigger question is that, did the government warned the people about the ill motives of the companies if it was so concerned and knew things two years back.
Assam Chief Minister ,Tarun Gogoi ,time and again took pride for launching a probe into chit fund companies two years back, but had it not been the initiative of the west Bengal government, the Assam government till date would have struggle even to find the tail of the exploitation, in such case the loot would have still continue and that also with the knowledge of the Government and thus government just cannot shy away from its responsibility.
The people of the state should rather be thankful to the West Bengal government for bringing things to the public domain it was with the media effort that the Assam government was compelled to take some steps against chit fund companies.
The government had forgotten the JVG financial scam that took place in the Nineties, besides there no hardly any organizations raising voice against this chit fund companies.
For many people the agents now have become a joke, but the more jokers are the various social organizations that have failed to protest against the loot and the had trick creating Assam Government too.(SP News)
