Sonowal's Vietnam visit wastage of public money: Gogoi

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI, May 15: Former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Tuesday questioned the rationale behind Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal’s visit to Vietnam to know the country’s success story in the field of agriculture at the cost of the public exchequer.

Gogoi told reporters here that Vietnam has nothing impressive to show in the field of agriculture and most of the people in that country rather look towards India.

“I also went to Vietnam and now confused as to what led Sonowal to lead a high-level team to that country to see their agriculture. Instead of Vietnam it would have been prudent for Sonowal and his team to visit Punjab, Haryana and a few other Southern States to know more about agriculture and modern farming. Sonowal has also become the first CM of Assam to have used a charter flight to go abroad. It's a complete wastage of money,” Gogoi said.

On other hand, Gogoi accused the State BJP of selling itself for the sake of passing the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016. He said the Assam BJP should have lodged strong protest when the Centre tabled the Bill in the Parliament. “The State BJP leaders cannot do anything now on their own without diktat from the RSS,” he said.

Gogoi, while admitting differences of opinions of the Congress leaders in the Brahmaputra and Barak Valleys on the Bill, said the APCC is, however, clear on its stand in opposing the Bill. He said the AICC will make its stand clear in time on the issue.