Gogoi to ULFA: Whose interest do you serve?

By our Staff Reporter GUWAHATI, June 30: Asom Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today said with active support from foreign power, ULFA ‘commander-in-chief” Paresh Barua has converted Asom into a battle field. “By killing innocent people in the State, whose interest do you want to serve, Asom’s or ISI’s?” Gogoi questioned Paresh Barua.Talking to newsmen in Guwahati today, Gogoi said in the last few days, seven people were killed and over 90 injured. “All these were innocent people. This is cowardice,” Gogoi said, and added: “Even the ULFA leaders know it better that sovereignty of Asom is not possible as the people of the State don’t want it. Sovereignty is just a pretext of the outfit’s leaders to derail the peace process. When the PCG was about to pave the way for peace talks between the ULFA and the Government, the leaders of the outfit raised the issue of sovereignty in order to derail the peace process.”The Chief Minister appealed to the civil society of the State yet again to come forward and create a congenial atmosphere for peace talks between the Centre and the ULFA. Gogoi, however, excluded the PCG from the civil society of the State on the ground that the group works at the diktat of the ULFA that constituted it, and not in accordance with the wish of the people of the State. On the unilateral ceasefire announced by the ULFA’s 28 Battalion, Gogoi said: “It’s a good sign, but the AGP and the BJP are against it.” On former Chief Minister Prafaulla Kumar Mahanta’s statement that the Government should not play any divide-and-rule policy while initiating peace talks with the ULFA, he said: “Surrender and ceasefire are a continuous process in the State. So far about 13,000 militants have surrendered in Asom and it can’t be termed as a divide-and-rule policy.”On the unilateral ceasefire announced by the ULFA’s 28 Battalion, Gogoi said: “We haven’t received the terms and conditions of the ceasefire officially as yet. After getting it, we will see how the peace process can be carried forward.”When asked whether the recent spate of violence in Asom is the outcome of the announcement of unilateral ceasefire by 28 Battalion, Gogoi replied in the negative. “The ULFA triggered such blasts even when the outfit was not divided. The outfit is triggering such blasts so as to make its presence felt.”On the report of a study conducted by some NGOs that Asom is among the most corrupt States of the country, Gogoi said: “If Asom is so corrupt, how could all these developmental works take place in the State? I, however, don’t mean Asom is a totally corruption-free State. The State Government is trying to check corruption.”Taking a dig at former Chief Minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, Gogoi said: “It doesn’t sound pleasant when Mahanta talks of corruption. After all, he is the main man behind the multi-crore-rupee LoC scam though he was not issued charge sheet due to some technical reasons. If anybody in the State Assembly wants to reopen the LoC scam, I am ready to open it.”Gogoi said that as asked by AICC’s Asom in-charge M Veerappa Moily, he would ask the ministers of his Cabinet to submit reports of their assets within two months. When asked if the reports would be made public, Gogoi said: “The public can get them through the RTI Act.”On the Indo-US nuclear deal, Gogoi said he is in favour of signing the deal. “If the UPA Government’s stand on the nuclear deal leads to early Lok Sabha polls in the country, I am ready for it. In fact, I have already geared up for the Lok Sabha polls,” he added. source: sentinel assam

State ministers asked to submit list of assets

State ministers asked to submit list of assets

By Our Correspondent GUWAHATI, June 27 – Senior Congress leader and party in-charge, Assam, Veerappa Moily has asked the Congress Ministers in Assam to submit their respective statement of assets and liabilities to the Chief Minister. This comes after the arrest of former State Education Minister Ripun Bora by the CBI, while he was allegedly trying to offer bribe to a CBI official in New Delhi. Though Moily did not make any comment on Bora, he, however said that ‘the law will take its own course’ He further stated that a suggestion has been made during a meeting with the Congress leaders, on making the filing of the statement of assets and liabilities compulsory by passing the same in the State Assembly as it is done in some of the other States.Moily was speaking to the media persons here at the Circuit House today. On the ‘tainted’ Ministers of the State, he said, “Charges against the Ministers would be there and the party leadership could react only if some concrete evidences are produced.”Moily while underscoring the need for a better co-ordination between the party and the ruling Government, especially the Ministers, stated, “I want a better relationship between the party workers and the Ministers and so I have urged the Ministers to make regular visits to the party offices.”The senior Congress leader also expressed satisfaction over the unilateral ceasefire declared by the leaders of the ULFA’s 28th battalion and appealed the other members to come forward for talks as well. Moily also divulged that during the manifesto committee meeting with the party members, it was revealed that as far as equality between the urban and the rural population in Assam is concerned, Assam is presently ranked number one.On the concerns voiced by Assam over the proposed mega hydel projects in Arunachal Pradesh, he said that the issue would be discussed with the Union Irrigation Minister soon. He further stated that a host of other core issues were discussed during his meeting with the party members and leaders including Assam Accord implementation, setting up of development councils for ethnic communities, welfare of the minorities, tea tribes and other backward communities.“Issues like infrastructure development, power scenario, health, education, employment generation and filling up of backlog of vacancies for ST and SC were discussed,” informed Moily.The Congress executive committee meeting discussed at length the execution of the loan waiving scheme announced by the Central Government recently. Source: assam tribune

Sonia Gandhi’s Assam visit

Sonia Gandhi’s hurricane visit to Assam to address a Kishan Rally followed by a trail of natural calamities like rain, breach of embankments, flood added woes of the poor farmers already burdened with debt, disease and destitution. Sonia Gandhi appeared as a Messiah of the farmers but she did not utter any word of hope to the farmers of Assam regarding long time solution of the perennial problem of flood which was the main cause of their poverty.. Addressing the Kishan Rally,she talked of price hike in petrol and diesel and patted the back of Chief Minster Tarun Gogoi for readily reducing the sales tax on these items. She talked of global inflation consequent to the rise of crude oil prices and the need for harnessing nuclear energy. Of course the large gathering had very few genuine farmers and therefore these subjects might not appear completely foreign to them. She spoke of the revolutionary step taken by the UPA government in announcing the Rs. 70,000 crore loan waiver for the farmers which would benefit 22 lakh farmers of the State. Regarding flood, a bold declaration from the UPA Chairman Sonia Gandhi that Assam flood would henceforth be treated as a national problem and dealt with in a war footing would have cheered the people of Assam She reiterated the UPA government’s commitment to implement the Assam Accord. However the AASU delegation complained to the Prime Minister that no progress in implementation had been made since the tripartite meeting presided by the Prime Minister on May 5,2005. The Chief Minister took credit for distribution of tractors,powertillers to the farmers and promised to issue rain coats and Japis to them in future. These are cosmetic measures. Farmers in Dhemaji and Lakhimpur have lost their valuable agricultural land due to erosion and breach of embankments. What they would do with rain coat and Japis?Sonia Gandhi’s visit though ostensibly to address a farmers rally to capitalise on the loan waiver scheme, was prompted to put a brake on the downward slide in popularity of the Congress Party after the arrest of Ripun Bora, ex–Education Minister and trusted lieutenant of the Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.The arrest of Ripun Bora has opened a Pandora’s Box and opposition parties are baying for blood of a few tainted Ministers. The Congress Party stands divided and a conspiracy by colleagues is alleged to have landed Ripun Bora in CBI net. One MP is making frequent press statements not complimentary to Tarun Gogoi government and embarrassing to the party. Sonia Gandhi’s stand on the issue of tainted Ministers is not known, but it is reported that she had advised the Chief Minister and the APCC president to take all measures and prepare for the election. Unless the party is revamped and Tarun Gogoi is bold enough to axe the tainted Ministers, the BJP-AGP combine would sweep the Lok Sabha poll. Sonia Gandhi as Congress president and Verappa Moily as in charge of Assam Congress have to do a lot to put the Assam Congress in order. Source: assam tribune