Sarmah wants Sonowal not to expand Cabinet

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, June 18: Tezpur BJP MP RP Sarmah today dropped a bombshell, appealing to State Chief Minister Sarbanda Sonowal not to expand his Cabinet.

Talking to media in his city residence today, Sarma said: “The State Cabinet shouldn’t be expanded. There’re as many as 12 States in the country that are being run by maximum 11 ministers. They include Delhi, Uttarakhand, Goa, Pondichery, Meghalaya, Aruchal Pradesh, galand, etc. If these States can run the administration with 11 or less ministers, why can’t Assam do that? Fourteen months have already elapsed, and why can’t the 11 ministers run the State administration for the remaining 46 months? I’ve appealed to the Chief Minister not to expand his Cabinet. Any Cabinet expansion leads to more expenditure. The increase of a minister in the Cabinet leads to around Rs 6/7 lakh extra expenditure for cars, PSOs, fuel, etc., monthly. We’re public servants, and we shouldn’t squeeze the public exchequer in this way. To work for the people, one does not need to be a minister. MLAs and MPs can also work for the wellbeing of the people. I’m working for the people without holding any minister post.”

Sarmah said that there should be a blanket ban on liquor in the State. “Revenue that comes from liquor is around Rs 1,500 crore yearly. However, annual medical expenditure is around Rs 3,000 crore. Apart from this, unpleasant incidents do occur from liquor consumption in the evening. People can’t go out when it is dark. I don’t allow any of my family members to go out in the evening.”

On the issue of sharing a post given in the facebook by UP CM Yogi Adityath, Sarma said: “I did it with full knowledge. People should know what happened during the Congress rule in Assam.”

Sarmah further said: “We rally behind the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha’s (GJM) in its agitation against the move to introduce Bengali as a compulsory subject in schools in Darjeeling. Since Nepali is a language that got Constitutiol recognition, Bengali can’t be made compulsory in Gorkha-domited areas. Our demand for a separate Gorkhaland still stands. We want intervention of Prime Minister rendra Modi, besides the introduction of a Bill in Parliament for the creation of a separate Gorkhaland. I’ve written letters in this connection to the President, the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister.”