Jourlists denounce Gogoi's comment on Padma awardees

GUWAHATI, Feb 1: Ridiculing Assam Chief Minister Tarun gogoi’s comment over Padma award recipients of the State, including senior jourlist Dhirendra th Bezboruah, the Jourlists Forum Assam (JFA) expressed its shock and said how come a veteran politician like Tarun Gogoi publicly malign distinguished persolities who were declared as winners of Padma Shri by the Union Government on the occasion of 67th Republic Day.

Gogoi on January 28, 2016, while addressing the media at Dispur Secretariat, expressed his displeasure that the Centre had not approved anyone for Padma awards from the list sent by the State government. He also asserted that the Centre had thus (ignoring the State government’s list of 28 persolities) shown disrespect to the federal structure of the country.

The Chief Minister even questioned, “On whose recommendations were the Padma awards given? Was it Bharatiya Jata Party leaders who recommended the four mes chosen for this year’s awards?”

“Such an outburst from the Chief Minister does not suit his present political position and stature,” said a statement issued by JFA president Rupam Barua and secretary va Thakuria, adding that maligning the senior most author-jourlist like DN Bezboruah, who once led Editor’s Guild of India, the Chief Minister has shown his utter disrespect to the entire media fraternity of India.

The forum also endorsed the reaction of veteran columnist Bezboruah in this regard that Gogoi had lately developed a ‘habit of shooting off his mouth’ and the forum too feels remorseful that ‘we live in a Statewhere the Chief Minister talks so irresponsibly’.

The JFA filly questioned the commitment of the State Government while recommending the me of reputed persolities for various Padma awards in the last 15 years during Gogoi’s chief ministership and commented that persolity like Bezboruah should have been honoured with the award a decade back.