Bid to throw money at issue: Gogoi

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Nov 1: Former State Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has alleged that Dispur has appointed ADGP Pallab Bhattacharjee to mediate on the vexed issue of according ST status to six ethnic groups of the State just to tone the issue down ‘by throwing money at it’.

Talking to reporters in the city today, Gogoi said: “How come a police officer of the State mediates an issue that purely comes under the Central Government?  Even the Chief Minister can’t do anything much in such an issue. Had the Centre appointed a joint secretary-level officer, the move would have been fruitful? By appointing a police officer as the mediator on the vexed issue, Dispur is trying to tone the issue down by throwing money at it. Now the BJP government talks of modalities for according ST status to the six ethnic groups of the State even though the party had clearly mentioned according ST status to the six groups in its election manifesto.”

On the recent eviction drive carried out in the Kaziranga tiol Park (KNP) by Dispur, Gogoi said: “State Fince Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was on record saying that all the evicted people would be compensated within 40 days. He even said that 40 days could be 41, but not 42. The time period stipulated by him is over, but not a single evicted person has been compensated as yet. I haven’t seen such an irresponsible government.”

Gogoi reacted sharply to the statement made by Himanta Biswa Sarma that the Gauhati High Court had to declare the Act relating to provincialization of venture educatiol institutions in the State following a note from former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. Sarma was also on record saying that he would make the note public. “If he has the note with him, what prevents him from making it public?” Gogoi questioned, and added: “In fact, in that case the government advocate didn’t defend at all. Even the judge expressed surprise that the opinion of the government was same as that of the petitioner. It doesn’t augur well for an education minister of a state telling such a blatant lie.”

Recently the State government decided to hike the application fees for government jobs. “Such a step can’t be justified. The price of non-subsidized LPG was hiked. The prices of all essential commodities continue to go up,” Gogoi said.