Hectic schedule makes Sonowal, Dass busy beavers

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, April 10: State Chief Minister Sarbanda Sonowal and party president Ranjit Kumar Dass look like busy beavers in the run-up to the Rongali Bihu. A busy schedule also awaits the duo during the first half of Bohag when Sonowal is likely to expand his Cabinet.

The Chief Minister is leaving for New Delhi tomorrow with a list of leaders to be inducted into his Cabinet. He is supposed to meet the party’s tiol president Amit Shah there. Cabinet expansion is likely to get priority at the meet. However, before leaving for New Delhi, Sonowal had a crucial meeting with party president Dass, here today. They, according to sources, had a detailed discussion on the new faces to be inducted into the Cabinet.

On his part, party president Dass is set to review the performance of the 20 organizatiol departments of the party at a meeting in the city tomorrow. He is also going to reconstitute various party departments as the performance of a number of them is not satisfactory.

According to sources, the Cabinet is not likely to be expanded in one go. Of the eight members to be inducted into his Cabinet, Sonowal is all set to induct only seven now since he wants that the eighth new face to be inducted into the Cabinet to be someone from the hill districts. Since the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) election is going to be held soon this year, Sonowal, according to sources, is not taking any risk to me a Cabinet minister from the hill districts now as that may have its ripple effects on the poll. The break-up of the other seven faces to be inducted into the Cabinet is – five from the BJP and one each from the AGP and the BPF.       

The core committee meeting of the State BJP is also set to be held on April 13 where, along with Dass, Sonowal will have to remain present. Cabinet expansion is set to top the agenda at the core committee meeting, besides the revamp of party’s organizatiol departments.

Meanwhile, the tiol executive committee meeting of the BJP is going to be held on April 15 and 16, 2017 at Bhubaneswar. Dass is also leaving for Bhubaneswar on April 14, which is why he has hurriedly convened the review meeting of the party’s organizatiol departments tomorrow. He, according to sources, wants to attend the party’s tiol executive committee meeting after reconstituting the departments and projects of the party in the State. To make that happen, Dass visited all the 36 party districts and viewed their works in the recent past.

According to sources, Dass is going to invite tiol BJP president Amit Shah to pay a visit to the State during the Bohag Bihu. If Shah visits the State, he will attend a number of party meetings in Assam.